THE

Etymology 1

Article

the

Definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that an entity it articulates is presupposed; something already mentioned, or completely specified later in that same sentence, or assumed already completely specified. [from 10th c.]

Used before a noun modified by a restrictive relative clause, indicating that the noun refers to a single referent defined by the relative clause.

Used before an object considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time. [from 10th c.]

Used before a superlative or an ordinal number modifying a noun, to indicate that the noun refers to a single item.

Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive. [from 9th c.]

Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a name of something standing for a whole class. [from 9th c.]

Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective. [from 9th c.]

Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar. [from 12th c.]

Used before a body part (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun. [from 12th c.]

When stressed, indicates that it describes an object which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention. [from 18th c.]

Usage notes

The word the precedes proper nouns in a number of cases, although most proper nouns use no article. There are always exceptions. See also English proper nouns for more information.

Countries

As a general rule, country names are not preceded by the. There are a few exceptions, most of which are pluralised

• The Netherlands

• The Bahamas

• The Solomon Islands

• The Maldives

• The Seychelles

• The Philippines

• The Yemen (can also be used without an article)

• The Sudan (can also be used without an article)

• The Ukraine (article dropped since 1991)

• The Lebanon (usually used without the article)

Names of countries containing specifications like kingdom, republic etc are used with the

• The United States

• The United Kingdom

• The United Arab Emirates

• The Czech Republic

• The Swiss Confederation

• The Kingdom of Denmark

• The Republic of Austria

• The Sultanate of Oman

• The European Union

Place names

Some place names use a definite article

• All oceans (The Atlantic Ocean, The Pacific Ocean)

• All seas (The Red Sea, The Bering Sea, The Caribbean Sea), and straits (The Strait of Magellan, the Bering Strait, The Bosphorus)

• All rivers (The Amazon, The Nile, The Mississippi, The Seine, The Yangtze), canals (The Panama Canal, The Suez Canal) and deltas (The Nile Delta, The Orinoco Delta, The Colorado River Delta)

• All art galleries (The Tate, The Louvre, The Smithsonian American Art Museum), all museums with the word museum in the name (The Museum of Natural History, The British Museum)

• Most English-language newspapers (The New York Times, The Guardian, The Chronicle, The Wall Street Journal)

• All North American railroads, even when not referred to by their full names or only by nicknames (The Pennsylvania Railroad, The Reading (Reading Railroad), The Frisco (St. Louis–San Francisco Railway))

Bands

Musical bands with a plural name are generally used with the

• The Beatles

• The Rolling Stones

Universities

University names beginning with the word "University", and some other university names, are used with the

• The University of North Carolina

• The Ohio State University

When used before an adjective which is not followed by a noun, it may refer to a group of people for which the adjective is appropriate

• the Scottish = Scots

• the rich = rich people (considered as a group)

Synonyms

• le

Etymology 2

Adverb

the (not comparable)

With a comparative or with more and a verb phrase, establishes a correlation with one or more other such comparatives.

With a comparative, and often with for it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated with none. See none the.

Usage notes

This is called the "comparative correlative", but it is also known as the "correlative construction", the "conditional comparative", or the "the...the construction".

Etymology 3

Preposition

the

For each; per.

Anagrams

• -eth, ETH, Eth, Eth., HET, TEH, eth, eth-, het, teh

Source: Wiktionary

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The, v. i.

Definition: See Thee. [Obs.] Chaucer. Milton.

The (the, when emphatic or alone; the, obscure before a vowel; the, obscure before a consonant; 37), definite article. Etym: [AS. the, a later form for earlier nom. sing. masc. se, formed under the influence of the oblique cases. See That, pron.]

Definition: A word placed before nouns to limit or individualize their meaning.

Note: The was originally a demonstrative pronoun, being a weakened form of that. When placed before adjectives and participles, it converts them into abstract nouns; as, the sublime and the beautiful. Burke. The is used regularly before many proper names, as of rivers, oceans, ships, etc.; as, the Nile, the Atlantic, the Great Eastern, the West Indies, The Hague. The with an epithet or ordinal number often follows a proper name; as, Alexander the Great; Napoleon the Third. The may be employed to individualize a particular kind or species; as, the grasshopper shall be a burden. Eccl. xii. 5.

The, adv. Etym: [AS. th\'c7, th\'df, instrumental case of se, seó, th\'91t, the definite article. See 2d The.]

Definition: By that; by how much; by so much; on that account; -- used before comparatives; as, the longer we continue in sin, the more difficult it is to reform. "Yet not the more cease I." Milton. So much the rather thou, Celestial Light, Shine inward, and the mind through all her powers Irradiate. Milton.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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