Definition of The

What does the word The mean?

• part of speech: noun

  (bef. vowel dhi, bef. consonant dhe, emphat. dhe), a. & adv. 1. Adj. applied esp. to person (s) or thing (s) already mentioned or under discussion, or from the nature of the case actually or potentially existent, or unique (as class or individual), or familiar, or otherwise sufficiently identified, as tried to soothe t. child, gave t. fellow a shilling, shall let t. matter drop, how is t. game or score?, what is t. time?, depends on t. weather, t. Devil, sun, moon, stars, Thames, inflammation oft. lungs, pulled t. trigger, what was t. result?, you will be t. loser, revised by t. author, find their way to t. sea, went to t. baths, theatre, rink, t. King, t. Home Secretary, story does not lose in t. telling; to sing. n. as repr. species, class, &c., as t. lion, domestic cat, philosopher, cucumber, gavotte, general reader, man in the street, new woman, (rhet., esp. bibl.) t. oppressor, locust; to some nn. used in restricted sense, esp. fig. repr. a pursuit &c., as t. gloves, ribbons, table, stage, theatre, platform, hustings, bottle, pulpit, fancy; to names of diseases &c. (now partly archaic), as t. smallpox, measles, tooth-ache, gout, fidgets, blues (depression), hump, (vulg.) t. (habit of) drink; to nn. expr. a unit, as 4d. t. (or a or per) pound, yard, &c., £6 t. coat& skirt, allow 8 minutes (to) t. mile, 16 oz. to t. pound; with sense completed by rel. clause or adj. or equivalent, as t. book (that) you borrowed, t. best (that) I can do for you, has not t. nerve for motoring, wonder you have t. impudence (to ask it expr. or understood), (exclam.) t. impudence of t. fellow!, t. cup on t. top shelf, t. one with a broken handle, t. bottom of a well, t. best way, t. only way, t. way out, t. upper classes, t. better man of the two; w. adjj. used abs., as none but t. brave (brave men) deserve t. fair, t. beautiful (beauty), t. sublime; w. adjj. rhet. viewed as part of definition, as t. virtuous& talented Duchess of X., details of t. shocking disaster, t. enraged animal; (dhe; italics) applied to the person or thing best known or best entitled to the name, as no relation to the Browning, the tobacco is (advertiser\'s). 2. Adv. (a) rel., only in comb. w. (b). In whatever degree. (b) In that degree, by that amount, on that account. Exx.: t. more he gets, t. more he wants; I play t. worse, t. more I practise; am not (or none) t. more inclined to help him because he is poor, on that account, for what you tell me; none t. better for seeing you; that makes it all t. worse (in the full degree to be expected from what you say &c.); (tautologically) so much t. worse for him, t. worse, so much worse, for him. [old English]