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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

under the sun en · ADP

Pronunciation

Etymology

From Middle English under þe sonne, under þe sunne (compare Old English under sunnan), a calque of Hebrew תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ (táchat hashémesh). The phrase has been associated with the book of Ecclesiastes ever since appearing 29 times in the translation to English by John Wycliffe https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=Under+the+sun&version=WYC

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic) In existence.
    • She argued boldly with me, on every subject under the sun, law and politics included; and, when I got the better of her, never hesitated to stop me by putting her hand on my lips, or by dragging me out into the garden in the middle of a sentence. 1859, Wilkie Collins, The Queen of Hearts:
    • I have also adopted a stance, familiar from consumer culture, which suggests that the goods under question can do anything under the sun. 2005, Hazel Smith, The writing experiment: strategies for innovative creative writing:
    • I returned, and saw vnder the Sunne, That the race is not to the swift, nor the battell to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of vnderstanding, nor yet fauour to men of skil; but time and chance happeneth to them all. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ecclesiastes 9:11:
    • He was a most likeable and generous man, a Whitworth Scholar, and possessed of a fund of knowledge which seemed to cover every subject under the sun. 1945 January and February, A Former Pupil, “Some Memories of Crewe Works—III”, in Railway Magazine, page 14:
    • Meronym: sublunary
    • Despite winning every award under the sun and being critically acclaimed + beloved, Schitt's Creek didn't become household-name-levels of popular until its last few seasons. 2024 September 16, Mehera Bonner, “Wondering What Dan Levy Is Making for Hosting the 2024 Emmys? Here's a Deep Dive on His Net Worth!”, in Cosmopolitan:

Relateds

under the stars · everything under the sun

Translations (15)

fr sous le soleil (in existence) · ro sub soare (in existence) · enm under þe sonne (in existence) · ru на земле (in existence) · fi auringon alla (in existence) · enm under þe mone (in existence) · de auf Erden (in existence) · ru на свете (in existence) · fi päällä maan (in existence) · eo sub la suno (in existence) · ja 日の下 (in existence) · es habido y por haber (in existence) · ru в мире (in existence) · ro pe sub soare (in existence) · vi trên đời (in existence)

wikipedia: John Wycliffe