Main Entry: ¹the

Pronunciation: \before consonants usually thə, before vowels usually thē, sometime before vowels also thə; for emphasis before titles and names or to suggest uniqueness often ˈthē\

Function: definite article

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English thē, masculine demonstrative pron. & definite article, alteration (influenced by oblique cases — as thæs, genitive — & neuter, thæt) of sē; akin to Greek ho, masculine demonstrative pron. & definite article — more at that

Date: before 12th century

1 a —used as a function word to indicate that a following noun or noun equivalent is definite or has been previously specified by context or by circumstance <put the cat out> b —used as a function word to indicate that a following noun or noun equivalent is a unique or a particular member of its class <the President> <the Lord> c —used as a function word before nouns that designate natural phenomena or points of the compass <the night is cold> d —used as a function word before a noun denoting time to indicate reference to what is present or immediate or is under consideration <in the future> e —used as a function word before names of some parts of the body or of the clothing as an equivalent of a possessive adjective <how's the arm today> f —used as a function word before the name of a branch of human endeavor or proficiency <the law> g —used as a function word in prepositional phrases to indicate that the noun in the phrase serves as a basis for computation <sold by the dozen> h —used as a function word before a proper name (as of a ship or a well-known building) <the Mayflower> i —used as a function word before a proper name to indicate the distinctive characteristics of a person or thing <the John Doe that we know wouldn't lie> j —used as a function word before the plural form of a surname to indicate all the members of a family <the Johnsons> k —used as a function word before the plural form of a numeral that is a multiple of ten to denote a particular decade of a century or of a person's life <life in the twenties> l —used as a function word before the name of a commodity or any familiar appurtenance of daily life to indicate reference to the individual thing, part, or supply thought of as at hand <talked on the telephone> m —used as a function word to designate one of a class as the best, most typical, best known, or most worth singling out <this is the life> <the pill> ; sometimes used before a personal name to denote the most prominent bearer of that name
2 a (1) —used as a function word with a noun modified by an adjective or by an attributive noun to limit the application of the modified noun to that specified by the adjective or by the attributive noun <the right answer> <Peter the Great> (2) —used as a function word before an absolute adjective or an ordinal number <nothing but the best> <due on the first> b (1) —used as a function word before a noun to limit its application to that specified by a succeeding element in the sentence <the poet Wordsworth> <the days of our youth> <didn't have the time to write> (2) —used as a function word after a person's name to indicate a characteristic trait or notorious activity specified by the succeeding noun <Jack the Ripper>
3 a —used as a function word before a singular noun to indicate that the noun is to be understood generically <the dog is a domestic animal> b —used as a function word before a singular substantivized adjective to indicate an abstract idea <an essay on the sublime>
4 —used as a function word before a noun or a substantivized adjective to indicate reference to a group as a whole <the elite>