the en · DET · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ði/ [ðɪj] strong form
- (UK) audio
- thə weak form before vowels
- /ðə/ weak form before vowels
- /ðə/ weak form before consonants
- /ðiː/ strong form
- (US) audio
- thē weak form before vowels
- /ði/ [ðɪj] weak form before vowels
- (Canada) audio
- thə weak form before consonants
- thē strong form
- (UK) audio
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Middle English þe, from Old English þē m (“the, that”, demonstrative pronoun), a late variant of sē, the s- (which occurred in the masculine and feminine nominative singular only) having been replaced by the þ- from the oblique stem. replaced words, cognates Originally neutral nominative, in Middle English it superseded all previous Old English nominative forms (sē m, sēo f, þæt n, þā pl); sē is from Proto-West Germanic *siz, from Proto-Germanic *sa, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *só. Cognate with Saterland Frisian die (“the”), West Frisian de (“the”), Dutch de (“the”), German Low German de (“the”), German der (“the”), Danish de (“the”), Swedish de (“the”), Icelandic sá (“that”) within Germanic and with Sanskrit स (sá, “the, that”), Ancient Greek ὁ (ho, “the”), Tocharian B se (“this”) among other Indo-European languages.
Meanings
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Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun ▸ The definite grammatical article that shows that the noun phrase that immediately follows it is definitely identifiable... ▸ ...because it has already been mentioned, is to be completely specified in the same sentence, or very shortly thereafter.
You live on Main Street, don't you? You know, you should tell the mayor the street needs cleaning.
I sleep in the bedroom!
2016, VOA Learning English, archived from the original on 30 Sep 2017:A car is parked right outside my house. Since it's difficult to find a parking space, I hope the car won't be there later. the cow jumped over the moon (1760 (date first published), Mother Goose's Melody (the book title), "Hey Diddle Diddle" (the rhyme title))
I’m reading the book Mary reviewed. (Compare I’m reading a book Mary reviewed.)
The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird.
the street that runs all the way through my hometown
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Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun ▸ The definite grammatical article that shows that the noun phrase that immediately follows it is definitely identifiable... ▸ ...because it is presumed to be definitely known in context or from shared knowledge. ▸ Used before a noun designating something considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Revelation 1:8, column 2:Let's go to the park!
No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe.
God save the Queen!
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Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun ▸ The definite grammatical article that shows that the noun phrase that immediately follows it is definitely identifiable... ▸ ...because it is presumed to be definitely known in context or from shared knowledge. ▸ Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar.
Take me to the airport/station/hospital/office/park/match/meeting/et cetera.
No one in the whole country had seen it before.
I don't think I'll get to it until the morning.
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Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun ▸ The definite grammatical article that shows that the noun phrase that immediately follows it is definitely identifiable... ▸ ...because it is presumed to be definitely known in context or from shared knowledge. ▸ Used before a body part, a family member, a pet (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun.
A stone hit him on the head. (= “A stone hit him on his head.”)
(informal) How's the wife? (= "How is your wife?")
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(colloquial) Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun ▸ The definite grammatical article that shows that the noun phrase that immediately follows it is definitely identifiable... ▸ ...because it is presumed to be definitely known in context or from shared knowledge. ▸ Precedes a familiar nickname or other term of address.
How's the Sal today?
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Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun ▸ The definite grammatical article that shows that the noun phrase that immediately follows it is definitely identifiable... ▸ ...because it is presumed to be definitely known in context or from shared knowledge. ▸ Used in many idiomatic expressions and proverbs to refer to common objects, roles, or situations connected with something definite, in the manner of an analogy.
square the circle; feel the pinch; beat around the bush; throw the baby out with the bathwater
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Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun ▸ When stressed, indicates that it describes something which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention.
That is the hospital to go to for heart surgery.
"Good Heavens, man! Why, he is the authority. If you want pure laboratory experiments those are the books."
1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:“New Kid On The Block” doubles as a terrific showcase for the Sea Captain who, in the grand tradition of Simpsons supporting characters, quickly goes from being a stereotype to an archetype, from being a crusty sea-captain character to the crusty sea-captain character.
2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club:
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Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun ▸ When stressed, used before the name of a famous person, to distinguish said person from a hypothetical lesser-known person with the same name.
"My name," he said, "is Hercule Poirot." "Not," the Commissary stammered, "not the Hercule Poirot?"
1928, Agatha Christie, The Mystery of the Blue Train:‘[…] he introduced us to Gwenog Jones.’ ‘Gwenog Jones?’ said Ron, his eyes widening under his own goggles. ‘The Gwenog Jones? Captain of the Holyhead Harpies?’
2005, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:
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Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun ▸ Used before a noun phrase beginning with superlative or comparative adjective or an ordinal number, indicating that the noun refers to a single item.
Starting today through September 30, guests can wow their taste buds with the "swiciest" sensation of the season, the Nashville-Style Hot Honey Pizza.
2024 August 21, Liz Parker Kuhn, “California Pizza Kitchen, Mike's Hot Honey drop 'swicy' new pizza”, in Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery:May the better man win.
That was the juiciest apple pie ever.
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Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun ▸ Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a name of something standing for a whole class.
Stern and God-fearing, the Afrikaner takes his religion seriously.
1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, London: Abacus, published 2010, page 536:The downy woodpecker can be found in the same environments as the hairy woodpecker.
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Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun ▸ Used with the plural of a surname to indicate the entire family.
The Bushes have held political office for several decades and the Kennedys longer.
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Used with an adjective ▸ Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive.
That apple pie was the best.
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Used with an adjective ▸ Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective.
One doesn't choose the color of one's chess pieces; the white are assigned to the player who moves first.
Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.
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Used with an adjective ▸ Used before a demonym ending in -ish or -ese to refer to people of a given country collectively.
the Irish are...; the Chinese are...; the French are...
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| th' | alternative | lexicographic | |
| teh | alternative | lexicographic | |
| da | alternative | lexicographic | |
| ye | alternative | lexicographic | |
| t' | alternative | lexicographic | |
| ẏᵉ | alternative | lexicographic | |
| ẏe | alternative | lexicographic | |
| de | alternative | lexicographic | |
| yᵉ | alternative | lexicographic | |
| yͤ | alternative | lexicographic | |
| d' | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
the hell · th'other · the heck · Jack the Ripper · all the time · Idioms using the · I'm not the one · Proverbs using the · the man · the one
Synonyms
Translations (327)
de den (introducing dates in a letter, such as "the 1st of May 2025") · wa li (article) · fi teidän (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · os и (article) · it il (with a superlative) · id al (article) · fi hänen (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · la ille (article) · fo hin (article) · nds de (article) · mwl l (article) · tl ang (article) · bg -те (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · sq -u (article) · mk -ов (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · kne isdin (article) · ca sa (article) · it li (introducing dates in a letter, such as "the 1st of May 2025") · es el (used with the name of a member of a class to refer to all things in that class) · zza be (diq) (article) · id sang (article) · mt il- (article) · fr l' (article) · sv den (stressed, indicating that the object in question is the only one worthy of attention) · oc eras (Pyrenean Gascon) (article) · id si (article) · hy -ը (article) · sv -en (article) · mi te (article) · lad איל (article) · pt o (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · rm l' (article) · mhn der (article) · wyi koogik (article) · lld l (with a superlative) · ga an (article) · zza ebe (diq) (article) · ca la (article) · ro -a (article) · vec el (with a superlative) · mhn s (article) · sm le (article) · ca el (article) · bn -টি (article) · ar الـ (article) · kne san (article) · ood g (article) · vo jiel (article) · yi דאָס (article) · pt o (used with the name of a member of a class to refer to all things in that class) · oc las (article) · pt a (article) · bn -রা (article) · ist el (article) · ilo ti (article) · lld l (article) · sco the (article) · ja 正しく (article) · fa این (this) · chk we (article) · bn -টা (article) · tpi dispela (this) · nn den (article) · af die (stressed, indicating that the object in question is the only one worthy of attention) · ms itu (article) · el ο (article) · arz الـ (article) · an lo (article) · pt o (stressed, indicating that the object in question is the only one worthy of attention) · hu az (article) · br an (article) · fi -nne (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · sw ya (article) · fa را for definite direct object (article) · ms sang (article) · gl os (article) · nb -et (article) · gd an (article) · sga a (article) · amu eⁿ' (article) · rom o (article) · nn -et (article) · de der (article) · sa तद् (article) · ja 正に (article) · fi -ni (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · chk ewe (article) · fur lis (article) · wa el (article) · nb -en (article) · tl ang (used with the name of a member of a class to refer to all things in that class) · ca sos (article) · nrf l' (article) · fi sinun (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · sa सा (with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people”) · bg -то (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · ia le (article) · fi sen (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · nb det (article) · it i (with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people”) · mh eo (article) · ro cel (article) · gl o (with a superlative) · gmw-cfr dä (article) · egy pA (pꜣ) (article) · pt o (this) · cy y (article) · kw an (article) · af die (with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people”) · es el (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · sc sa (article) · yi דער (article) · nan-tws coh⁴ (article) · fi -si (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · to te (article) · es el (article) · ilo iti (article) · sv den (with a superlative) · got 𐍃𐌰 (article) · sa स (with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people”) · ilo ken ni (article) · nb den (article) · rom i (article) · oc eths (Pyrenean Gascon) (article) · it le (article) · fur l' (article) · fi -nsa (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · rm las (article) · ang sē (article) · ms ini (article) · nl de (article) · fr le (used with the name of a member of a class to refer to all things in that class) · sq -a (article) · ee -á (article) · ro -ul (article) · ms si (article) · af die (article) · es los (with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people”) · it lì (introducing dates in a letter, such as "the 1st of May 2025") · vec el (article) · it lo (article) · fr les (with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people”) · fy de (article) · br ar (article) · it l' (article) · arc ־א (article) · fo tann (article) · fi minun (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · sga in (article) · el ο (with a superlative) · odt thie (article) · gsw de (article) · nl de (used with the name of a member of a class to refer to all things in that class) · ast el (article) · sa तद् (with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people”) · gl as (article) · enm the (article) · es las (with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people”) · nn det (article) · pih t' (article) · fi se (stressed, indicating that the object in question is the only one worthy of attention) · hy -ն (article) · sa तद् (stressed, indicating that the object in question is the only one worthy of attention) · iso na (article) · de der (with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people”) · njo-jgl -ji (article) · af die (this) · rap te (article) · sa सा (stressed, indicating that the object in question is the only one worthy of attention) · rom e (article) · nl de (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · grc ὁ (article) · fr les (article) · ja ザ (stressed, indicating that the object in question is the only one worthy of attention) · it gli (article) · ca ses (article) · fur la (article) · nl het (article) · eo la (article) · mhn de (article) · es lo (article) · it il (article) · la ipse (article) · ms -nya (article) · et see (stressed, indicating that the object in question is the only one worthy of attention) · fr la (article) · el ο (stressed, indicating that the object in question is the only one worthy of attention) · haw ke (article) · el ο (with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people”) · ja その (article) · es los (article) · fi meidän (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · fi heidän (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · haw nā (article) · af die (with a superlative) · gmw-ecg dr (article) · sq -i (article) · pt as (article) · kne is (article) · mk -от (used with the name of a member of a class to refer to all things in that class) · ja その (this) · ca es (article) · ppl ne (article) · ee lá (article) · he ה־ (article) · anq ɖi (article) · rm ils (article) · yi די (article) · rm la (article) · mhn de (article) · bg -та (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · fr le (stressed, indicating that the object in question is the only one worthy of attention) · kne nan (article) · de das (article) · oc es (article) · bzj di (article) · oc los (article) · osx thē (article) · kne ken issan (article) · mk -те (with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people”) · zza eve (diq) (article) · fi -nsä (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · sv den (with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people”) · de die (article) · eo la (with a superlative) · bn formality and animacy (article) · br al (article) · ilo ni (article) · sa सा (article) · nl de (with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people”) · haw ka (article) · id itu (article) · fr le (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · kne isnan (article) · nl de (with a superlative) · enm þe (article) · kne din (article) · pt o (article) · it il (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · es las (article) · bg -те (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · io le (article) · el στον (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · vo hiel (article) · it il (used with the name of a member of a class to refer to all things in that class) · is -inn (article) · tpi dispela (article) · gl o (article) · fr le (article) · de der (stressed, indicating that the object in question is the only one worthy of attention) · tvl te (article) · sc su (article) · el ο (used with the name of a member of a class to refer to all things in that class) · bg -a/-ja (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · arc ־תא (article) · sv -en (used with the name of a member of a class to refer to all things in that class) · pt o (with a superlative) · oge იგი (article) · bn -এরা (article) · es el (with a superlative) · bg -та (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · ca l' els m pl les (article) · pl ten (this) · bg -те (with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people”) · rup -lu (article) · bn -গুলা (article) · haj -ৰৗ (article) · grc ὁ (article) · ro cea (article) · hu a (article) · gl a (article) · nl de (stressed, indicating that the object in question is the only one worthy of attention) · la ille (article) · arc ־י (article) · pt os (article) · nn -a (article) · eu -a (article) · sv -en (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · mh ro (article) · ga na (article) · ilo kada (article) · fr le (with a superlative) · ilo da (article) · id -nya (article) · sv den (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · sa स (article) · io la (article) · ca es (article) · fo -in (article) · fur il (article) · nb -a (article) · amu i' (article) · sv den (article) · de der (used with the name of a member of a class to refer to all things in that class) · ilo kadagiti (article) · hu a (with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people”) · sa स (stressed, indicating that the object in question is the only one worthy of attention) · scn lu (article) · yi די (article) · pt o (with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people”) · kne si (article) · mfe la (article) · it i (article) · rm il (article) · fi se (article) · fi -mme (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · fur i (article) · bn -গুলো (article) · ilo dagiti (article) · de der (with a superlative) · bcl an (article) · oc era (Pyrenean Gascon) (article) · it la (article) · es la (article) · mh ko (article) · de dieser (this) · mi ngā (article) · nn -en (article) · fi niiden (used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts) · la ly (article) · fr le (introducing dates in a letter, such as "the 1st of May 2025") · ca ets (article) · oc eth m la (Pyrenean Gascon) (article) · oc lo (article) · is hinn (article) · dlm el (article) · af die (used with the name of a member of a class to refer to all things in that class)
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