the

Question

English - Alternative Forms

ðe (obsolete), þe (obsolete), ẏ^e (obsolete), ẏe (archaic): variant spelling of the.
ye (archaic)
da, teh, le (informal)
t' (Northern England)

English - Pronunciation

(when stressed or prevocalic)
- (UK) enPR: thē, IPA^(key):/ðiː/
- (some UK dialects) enPR: thə, IPA^(key):/ðə/
- (US) enPR: thē, IPA^(key):/ði/
- Rhymes: -iː
(when unstressed and preconsonantal)
- enPR: thə, IPA^(key):/ðə/ (but see notes below)
- Rhymes: (generally not applicable as the unstressed variant is never used to terminate a phrase)

English - Etymology 1

From Middle English, from Old English _þē_ (“the, that”, demonstrative pronoun), a late variant of _sē_ (“that, the”). Originally masculine nominative, in Middle English it superseded all previous Old English forms (_sē_, _sēo_, _þæt_, _þā_), from Proto-Germanic _*sa_ (“that”), from Proto-Indo-European _*só_, _*to-_, _*tód_ (“demonstrative pronoun”). Cognate with West Frisian _de_, _dy_ (“the, that”), Dutch _de_, _die_ (“the, that”), Low German _de_, _dat_ (“the, that”), German _der_, _die_, _das_ (“the, that”), Danish _den_ (“the, that”), Swedish _den_ (“the, that”), Icelandic _það_ (“that”). ARTICLE THE * Definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that an entity it articulates is presupposed; something already mentioned, or completely specified later in that same sentence, or assumed already completely specified. [from 10th c.] _I’m reading THE book._ (Compare _I’m reading A book._) _THE street in front of your house._ (Compare _A street in Paris._) _THE men and women watched THE man give THE birdseed to THE bird._ * Used before an object considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time. [from 10th c.] _No one knows how many galaxies there are in THE universe._ _God save THE Queen!_ * With a superlative, it and that superlative refer to one object. [from 9th c.] _That apple pie was THE best._ * Introducing a term to be taken generically; preceding a name of something standing for a whole class. [from 9th c.] * 1994, Nelson Mandela, _Long Walk to Freedom_, Abacus 2010, page 536: Stern and God-fearing, THE Afrikaner takes his religion seriously. * Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective. [from 9th c.] _Feed THE hungry, clothe THE naked, comfort THE afflicted, and afflict THE comfortable._ * Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is most usually of concern, or most common or familiar. [from 12th c.] _No one in THE whole country had seen it before._ _I don't think I'll get to it until THE morning._ * Used before a body part (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun. [from 12th c.] _A stone hit him on THE head._ (= “A stone hit him on his head.”) * When stressed, indicates that it describes an object which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention. [from 18th c.] _That is_ THE _hospital to go to for heart surgery._ QUOTATIONS * For usage examples of this term, see the citations page. USAGE NOTES DERIVED TERMS TRANSLATIONS

From Middle English, from Old English þē (“the, that”, demonstrative pronoun), a late variant of sē (“that, the”). Originally masculine nominative, in Middle English it superseded all previous Old English forms (sē, sēo, þæt, þā), from Proto-Germanic *sa (“that”), from Proto-Indo-European *só, *to-, *tód (“demonstrative pronoun”). Cognate with West Frisian de, dy (“the, that”), Dutch de, die (“the, that”), Low German de, dat (“the, that”), German der, die, das (“the, that”), Danish den (“the, that”), Swedish den (“the, that”), Icelandic það (“that”).