The Word Meaning

Old English se, sēo, thæt, ultimately superseded by forms from Northumbrian and North Mercian thē, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch de, dat, and German der, die, das

denoting one or more people or things already mentioned or assumed to be common knowledge.

denoting one or more people or things already mentioned

• what's the matter?
• call the doctor
• the phone rang

used to point forward to a following qualifying or defining clause or phrase

used to point forward to following qualifying or defining clause or phrase

• the fuss that he made of her
• the top of a bus
• I have done the best I could

used to make a generalized reference to something rather than identifying a particular instance

used to make generalized reference to something rather than identifying particular instance

• he taught himself to play the violin
• I worry about the future

enough of (a particular thing)

enough of

• he hoped to publish monthly, if only he could find the money

(pronounced stressing ‘the’) used to indicate that someone or something is the best known or most important of that name or type

used to indicate that person or thing is best known or most important of that name or type

• he was the hot young piano prospect in jazz

used adverbially with comparatives to indicate how one amount or degree of something varies in relation to another

used to indicate how one amount or degree of something varies in relation to another

• the more she thought about it, the more devastating it became