everybody

Selwyn, sitting up rumpled and cross-legged on the floor, after having boloed Drina to everybody's exquisite satisfaction, looked around at the sudden rustle of skirts to catch a glimpse of a vanishing figure—a glimmer of ruddy hair and the white curve of a youthful face, half-buried in a muff.

1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter I, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:


your

non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger

non-rhotic, show–sure merger, African-American Vernacular

yaw (non-rhotic, paw–poor merger or dialectal)

From Middle English your, youre, ȝour, ȝoure, from Old English ēower, īower (“your”, plural), from Proto-West Germanic *iuwar, from Proto-Germanic *izweraz. Cognate with Saterland Frisian jou (“your”), Dutch jouw (“your”), German Low German jo, jos (“your”), German euer (“your”, plural), Danish jeres (“your”).

you kiss your grandfather with that mouth

Not your average Tom, Dick and Harry.

Your Show of Shows

Your World with Neil Cavuto

Not Your Average Travel Guide

A determiner that conveys familiarity and mutual knowledge of the modified noun.


it's

Contraction of ‘it is’, ‘it has’ or 'it was'.

it’s too expensive; it’s coming right for us!; it's a free country

[...], guided not by his own Will, but by the Medick Science, which dictates, that it's recessary, beneficial, and convenient to alter, mix, and temper this medicine, and fit it to the Disposition, and Constitution of the Patient[.]

1743, Martin Marley, The Good Confessor, page 307:

The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about[…]and so on. But the real way to build a successful online business is to be better than your rivals at undermining people's control of their own attention. Partly, this is a result of how online advertising has traditionally worked: advertisers pay for clicks, and a click is a click, however it's obtained.

2013 June 21, Oliver Burkeman, “The tao of tech”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 48:


its

Equivalent to it + -s (possessive marker). From the earlier form it's (it + -'s), which is now considered nonstandard. Began to displace his as the possessive of the neuter pronoun in the Middle English period; had fully displaced it by the 1700s.

… both Houses have resolved to rob the North of a good friend of its and yours.

1645, Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton, Letter to Ferdinando Fairfax, 6 February 1645

EBay Canada argued in court that the data sought by tax collectors was not its to give.

2007 October 1, Ian Austen, “Canadian Court Opens Up eBay Data to Tax Agency”, in New York Times:

...the Board of Trade of Chicago can at least feel that it has played its part manfully and patriotically, and that no act of its has stood in the way of National victory.

1917, Charles Henry Taylor, History of the Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, volume 2, page 1259:

свой

when referring to the subject of the sentence


their

From Old Norse þeirra. Replaced native Old English heora.


our

ow stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn or Homophone: are

From Middle English oure, from Old English ūre, ūser (“our”), from Proto-Germanic *unseraz (“of us, our”), from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-s-ero- (“our”). Cognate with Scots oor (“our”), West Frisian ús (“our”), Low German uns (“our”), Dutch onze (“our”), German unser (“our”), Danish vor (“our”), Norwegian vår (“our”), and more distantly Latin noster.

I'm going to see our Terry for tea.

(Northern England, Scotland) Used before a person's name to indicate that the person is in one's family, or is a very close friend.


his

From Middle English his, from Old English his (“his; its”), from Proto-Germanic *hes (“of this”), genitive of Proto-Germanic *hiz (“this, this one”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe-, *ḱey- (“this”). Cognate with Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic hans (“his”). More at he; see also its.

Ahab his mark for Ahab's mark.

Sejanus his Fall

(archaic) Used as a genitive marker in place of ’s after a noun, especially a masculine noun ending in -s, to express the possessive case.


my

From Middle English mi, my, apocopated form of min, myn, from Old English mīn (“my, mine”), from Proto-West Germanic *mīn, from Proto-Germanic *mīnaz (“my, mine”, pron.) (possessive of *ek (“I”)), from Proto-Indo-European *méynos (“my; mine”).
Cognate with West Frisian myn (“my”), Afrikaans my (“my”), Dutch mijn (“my”), German mein (“my”), Swedish min (“my”). More at me.

inh

my very educated mother just served us nine pizzas

my very excellent mother just served us nine pizzas

I can't find my book.

First-person singular possessive determiner. See Appendix:Possessive#English.

My seat at the restaurant was uncomfortable.

Don't you know my name?

I recognised him because he had attended my school.

My parents won't let me go out tonight.

From what conſummate vertue I have choſe / This perfect Man, by merit call'd my Son,

1671, John Milton, “The First Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 10, lines 165-166:

I have to take my books back to the library soon.


it

head

it (subjective and objective it, reflexive and intensive itself, possessive determiner and pronoun its, plural subjective they, plural objective case them)

it (objective subjective)
itself (emphatic reflexive)
its (determiner possessive pronoun without-noun)
they (plural subjective)
them (objective plural)

Received Pronunciation, General American, GenAus

From Middle English it, hit ( > dialectal English hit (“it”)), from Old English hit (“it”), from Proto-West Germanic *hit, from Proto-Germanic *hit (“this, this one”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe-, *ḱey- (“this, here”). Cognate with West Frisian it (“it”), Saterland Frisian et, 't (“it”), Dutch het (“it”), Low German it (“it”), German es (“it”). Compare also Gothic 𐌹𐍄𐌰 (ita, “it”), Latin cis (“on this”), hic (“this”). More at he.

αὐτό

when referring to inanimate thing or neuter noun

impersonal pronoun, used without referent

It is easy to see how she would think that. (with the infinitive clause headed by to see)

"I know now!" said I. "I have seen this in your face a long while."
"No; have you really, my dear?" said he. "What a Dame Durden it is to read a face!"

1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC:

I find it odd that you would say that. (with the noun clause introduced by that)

It is hard seeing you so sick. (with the gerund seeing)

He saw to it that everyone would vote for him. (with the noun clause introduced by that)

It is not clear if the report was true. (with the noun clause introduced by if)

syntactic expletive
syntactic expletive#English

The impersonal pronoun, used as a placeholder for a delayed subject, or less commonly, object; known as the dummy pronoun (according to some definitions), anticipatory it or, more formally in linguistics, a syntactic expletive. The delayed subject is commonly a to-infinitive, a gerund, or a noun clause introduced by a subordinating conjunction.

not used in Dyirbal (Dyirbal has no third-person pronoun)

(subject pronouns are usually omitted, or a demonstrative is used: medial, proximal, and distal demonstratives:) τοῦτο (toûto)


it

Let's play it at breaktime.


it

Going away for the weekend and feel the need to profile en route? This is the "it" bag.

2007 September, Vibe, volume 15, number 9, page 202:

With Hit Girl, Moretz is this year's It Girl, alternately sweet, savage and scary.

2010, David Germain, Hilarious ‘Kick-Ass’ delivers bloody fun, Associated Press:

These Italian made sneakers quickly became an it shoe and the trend is not going anywhere any time soon!

2021 October 4, Robert P, “Are Golden Goose Sneakers Worth It? My Honest Review Of Golden Goose Sneakers”, in Gold Talk Club, archived from the original on 2024-07-15:

(colloquial) Most fashionable, popular, or in vogue.


her

From Middle English here, hir, hire, from Old English hire (“her”), from Proto-Germanic *hezōi (dative and genitive singular of *hijō).
Cognate with North Frisian hör, Saterland Frisian hier, hiere (“her”), West Frisian har (“her”), Dutch haar (“her”), German Low German hör (“her”), German ihr (“her”).

inh

dative and genitive singular of <i class="Latn mention" lang="gem-pro">*hijō</i>

possessive concord + -khe class 1 (most common)

This is her book

Prodigal in everything, summer spreads her blessings with lavish unconcern, and waving her magic wand across the landscape of the world, she bids the sons of men to enter in [...]

1928, The Journal of the American Dental Association, page 765:

Her crew knew that deep in her heart beat engines fit and able to push her blunt old nose ahead at a sweet fourteen knots, come Hell or high water.

1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 1:

On top of the circle she wrote her name, Louise, just above where the 12 on a clock would be.

2001, Betsy Gould Hearne, Wishes, Kisses, and Pigs, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 78:

On 24 April Nelson rejoined his ship, her battle damage repaired […]

2010, Andrew Lambert, Nelson: Britannia's God of War, Faber & Faber, →ISBN:

Belonging to her (belonging to that female person or animal, or in poetic or old-fashioned language that ship, city, season, etc).


mine

From Middle English min, myn, from Old English mīn, from Proto-West Germanic *mīn, from Proto-Germanic *mīnaz, from Proto-Indo-European *méynos.
Cognate with Saterland Frisian mien, West Frisian myn, Dutch mijn, Low German mien, German mein, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian min, Icelandic mín.

This house of mine is over 100 years old.

double possessive
double possessive#English

That or those belonging to me.
As double possessive.


whose

From Middle English whos, from Old English hwæs, from Proto-Germanic *hwes, genitive case of *hwaz (“who”) *hwat (“what”).


which

From Middle English which, hwic, wilche, hwilch, whilk, hwilc, from Old English hwelċ (“which”), from Proto-Germanic *hwilīkaz (“what kind”, literally “like what”), derived from *hwaz, equivalent to who + like. Cognates include Scots whilk (“which”), West Frisian hokker (“which”), Dutch welk (“which”), Low German welk (“which”), German welcher (“which”), Danish hvilken (“which”), Swedish vilken (“which”), Norwegian hvilken (“which”), Icelandic hvílíkur (“which”).

Flour contains starch, which is a type of carbohydrate.

I found my camera, which I thought I'd lost, under the bed.

I entered the room, at the far end of which was a small table.

Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke.[…]A silver snaffle on a heavy leather watch guard which connected the pockets of his corduroy waistcoat, together with a huge gold stirrup in his Ascot tie, sufficiently proclaimed his tastes.

1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.

1913, Mrs. [Marie] Belloc Lowndes, chapter II, in The Lodger, London: Methuen, →OCLC; republished in Novels of Mystery: The Lodger; The Story of Ivy; What Really Happened, New York, N.Y.: Longmans, Green and Co., […], [1933], →OCLC, page 0091:

Many genes with reproductive roles also have antibacterial and immune functions, which indicate that the threat of microbial attack on the sperm or egg may be a major influence on rapid evolution during reproduction.

2013 May-June, Katrina G. Claw, “Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:

non-restrictive relative clause
non-restrictive relative clause#English

(relative) In a non-restrictive relative clause, referring to something previously mentioned.

She had a young child, which cried incessantly.

(chiefly archaic) Used of people (now generally who, whom, that; which remains possible with words also referred to by it such as baby, child).

The front door was open, which concerned me.

He had to leave, which was very difficult.

She saved my life, for which I am eternally grateful.

Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field.

2013 July 20, “Welcome to the plastisphere”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:

This is the letter which I received.

This is the letter in which he explains his decision.

Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us...

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 1:1:

restrictive relative clause
restrictive relative clause#English

(relative, sometimes proscribed, see usage notes) In a restrictive relative clause, referring to a noun previously mentioned.

The men which acompanyed him on his waye stode amased, for they herde a voyce, butt sawe no man.

1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts:


y'all

Contraction of you all, and/or from Scots ye aw. Attested since at least 1631.
Compare Dutch jullie (originally jij lui (literally “you people”)) for a similar development of a new plural pronoun out of Proto-Germanic *jīz that originally was already plural.

I need y'all help for a minute.

(especially African-American Vernacular) Your pl; y'all's


thine

From Middle English thyn, þyn, from Old English þīn, from Proto-West Germanic *þīn, from Proto-Germanic *þīnaz. Cognate to German dein, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian din, Faroese tín and Icelandic þinn.

Thine oxe shall be slaine before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine asse shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shal not be restored to thee: thy sheepe shall bee giuen vnto thine enemies, and thou shalt haue none to rescue them.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 28:31:

Thine alabaster cities gleam / Undimmed by human tears!

1895, “America the Beautiful”, Katharine Lee Bates (lyrics), Samuel A. Ward (music):

(archaic) Singular second person prevocalic possessive determiner (preconsonantal form: thy).


me

There don't seem much to say just now. / (Yer what? Then don't, yer ruddy cow! / And give us back me cigarette!)

a. 1918, Wilfred Owen, “The Letter”, in Douglas Kerr, editor, The Works of Wilfred Owen, page 54:

I want me money back!

1994, John Hodge, Shallow Grave, spoken by Alex Law (Ewan McGregor):

Get off me cheese! Get off! Get off!

"What have I ever done to prove me worth, or where I could at least say as I'd made a difference?"

2016, Alan Moore, Jerusalem, Liveright, page 99:

(UK regional, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, colloquial) Alternative form of my


what

wot (all only in British, Australian, New Zealand, New York City accents with the wine–whine merger)

From Middle English what, from Old English hwæt (“what”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Germanic *hwat (“what”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷód (“what”), neuter form of *kʷós (“who”). Cognate with Scots whit (“what”), North Frisian wat (“what”), Saterland Frisian wat (“what”), West Frisian wat (“what”), Dutch wat (“what”), Low German wat (“what”), German was (“what”), Danish hvad (“what”), Norwegian Bokmål hva (“what”), Swedish vad (“what”), Norwegian Nynorsk kva (“what”), Icelandic hvað (“what”), Latin quod (“what, which”).

This shows what beauty there is in nature.

You know what nonsense she talks.

I found out what a liar he is.

Emphasises that something is noteworthy or remarkable in quality or degree, in either a good or bad way; may be used in combination with certain other determiners, especially 'a', less often 'some'.

What nonsense!

Wow! What a speech.

What beautiful children you have.

With what passion she sings!

Little Red Riding Hood, traditional folk tale
“Oh Granny, what big eyes you have,” said Little Red Riding Hood.

(exclamative) Used to form exclamations indicating that something is remarkable, in either a good or bad way.


what

In short; what by the indiscretion of people here, what by the rebound which came often back from London, what by the private interests and ambitious views of persons in the French court, and what by other causes unnecessary to be examined now, the most private transactions came to light [...]

1787, Henry St. John, Lord Viscount Bolingbroke, Letters on the Study and Use of History: A Letter to Sir William Windham, page 83:

The Chinese of all ranks, and in every place, received my books gladly, and listened with patience to what I had to say about the true God.—So that what from opportunities of attending to the object of my Mission among the Chinese—what from seasons of religious instruction to Dutch and English—what from intercourse with gentlemen of education and knowledge of the world—what from occasions of stating clearly the object of Missions, and of endeavouring to remove prejudices against them—and what from the view of a highly cultivated country, happy under an enlightened and liberal government, I have much reason to be satisfied with this journey …

1815, Rev. Mr. Milne, letter reprinted in The Evangelical Magazine and Missionary Chronicle, Volume 23, page 82. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=EPE6AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA82&dq=%22what+from%22

Used before a prepositional phrase to emphasise that something is taken into consideration as a cause or reason; usually used in combination with 'with' (see what with), and much less commonly with other prepositions.


what

“That’s riled them,” said my compaion. “Good work, what?”

1918, Denis Garstin, The Shilling Soldiers, London: Hodder and Stoughton, page 83:

Chuffy: WHAT? No, no, no, no, no. My casa is your casa, what?

1991 May 12, “Kidnapped!”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 2, Episode 5:

It’s a nice day, what?

(British, colloquial, dated) Clipping of what do you say? Used as a type of tag question to emphasise a statement and invite agreement, often rhetorically.


everyone

From Middle English everichon. By surface analysis, every + one.

She was really hungry, so the chicken and tarts served to divert her attention for a time. It was well I secured this forage; or both she, I and Sophie, to whom I conveyed a share of our repast, would have run a chance of getting no dinner at all: every one down stairs was too much engaged to think of us.

1847 October 16, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], chapter II, in Jane Eyre. An Autobiography. […], volume II, London: Smith, Elder, and Co., […], →OCLC, page 32:

Everyone’s heart palpitated as Leo Dillon handed up the paper and everyone assumed an innocent face.

1904–1907 (date written), James Joyce, “An Encounter”, in Dubliners, London: Grant Richards, published June 1914, →OCLC, page 22:

Hello, everyone!
Audio (US): (file)

2016, VOA Learning English (public domain), archived from the original on 2017-09-30

every one

archaic or when referring to every person or thing in a group separately, not as a group


nobody

From Middle English nobody, no-body, no body. By surface analysis, no (“none, not any”, adjective) + body (“one, person, individual”).

surf

I asked several people, but nobody knew how.

As nobody who is not blind can have failed to notice, I had my hair cut just yesterday.

Not any person; the logical negation of somebody.

it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good

nobody ever went broke underestimating the good taste of the American people

nobody ever went broke underestimating the good taste of the American public

nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people

nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public

nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American people

nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public

on the Internet nobody knows you're a dog


no one

We went to the store but no one was there.

Sundrie greate perſonages bothe learned and well acquainted with affaires, haue both learnedly, and wiſely written of Politique matters, [...] howbeit there is no one among them all, that hath once buſied himſelfe about the ruling, or direction of the Publique eſtate, in that point, that apperteineth to the vocation of men, [...]

1578, [Pierre de la Place], “That the Vocation of Men, hath beene a Thing Vnknown vnto Philosophers, […]”, in Ægremont Ratcliffe [i.e., Egremont Radcliffe], transl., Politiqve Discourses, Treating of the Differences and Inequalities of Vocations, as well Publique, as Priuate: […], London: […] Edward Aggas, →OCLC, book I, folio 8, recto:

Where Love preſumeth into place, / Let no one ſing in Loves diſgrace.

1684, John Boccacio [i.e., Giovanni Boccaccio], “The Sixth Novel. Sufficiently Declaring, that how Mighty Soever the Power of Love is, yet a Magnanimous and Truly Generous Heart, It Can by No Means Fully Conquer.”, in The Novels and Tales of the Renowned John Boccacio, the First Refiner of Italian Prose: […], 5th edition, London: […] Awnsham Churchill, […], →OCLC, page 437:

Many may boaſt finer eyes, a handſomer mouth, a more commanding figure; but no one can have a better turned ſhape, a fairer complexion, a whiter hand, a more delicate foot, a more benign aſpect, a more bewitching countenance. Without dazzling, ſhe engages, ſhe charms, and no one can tell how.

1763, J[ean-]J[acques] Rousseau, “Book V”, in [William Kenrick], transl., Emilius and Sophia: Or, A New System of Education. […], 2nd edition, volume IV, London: […] T. Becket and P. A. de Hondt […], →OCLC, pages 90–91:

Receive us. We have wronged noöne, we have corrupted noöne, we have taken advantage of noöne.

1848, Jonathan Morgan, transl., The New Testament of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. […], stereotype edition, Portland, Or.: S. H. Colesworthy; […], II Corinthians 7:2, page 222, column 2:

'The doctor was confined to the house,' Poole said, 'and saw no one.' On the 15th, he tried again, and was again refused; and having now been used for the last two months to see his friend almost daily, he found this return of solitude to weigh upon his spirits.

1886 January 5, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Remarkable Incident of Doctor Lanyon”, in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, pages 55–56:

Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between. His clerks, however, understood him very well. If he had written a love letter or a farce, or a ballade or a story, no one—neither clerks nor friends nor compositors—would have understood anything but a word here and a word there.

1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 6:

The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen. No one queried it. It was in the classic pattern of human weakness, mean and embarrassing and sad.

1963, Margery Allingham, “Eye Witness”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 249:

However, the transcendence of 2#92;sqrt#123;2#125; was so difficult a problem that noöne in the audience would live to see its solution. Within a few years, [Carl Ludwig] Siegel had proven this transcendence!

1991, Craig Smoryński, “Weak Formal Theories of Arithmetic”, in Logical Number Theory I: An Introduction (Universitext), Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag, →DOI, →ISBN, page 269:

And why has no one in the [rail] industry advocated for a universal requirement for face covering (even if it's just a scarf or old tea towel), [...]

2020 June 3, Christian Wolmar, “Unworkable Policies Cripple Our Beleaguered Railway”, in Rail, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 51:

Used in contrast to anyone, someone or everyone: not one person; nobody.


somebody

Somebody has to clean this mess up.

e.g. سَأَلَ سائِلٌ (saʔala sāʔilun, “somebody asked”, literally “an asker asked”)


someone

From Middle English sum on, sum one, sum oon, equivalent to some + one.

Can someone help me, please?

Can you get me someone more knowledgeable?

One or some person of unspecified or indefinite identity.

Some translation dictionaries have used the abbreviation s.o.


nothing

en-noun

nothing (countable and uncountable, plural nothings)

From Middle English nothyng, noon thing, non thing, na þing, nan thing, nan þing, from Old English nāþing, nān þing (“nothing”, literally “not any thing”), equivalent to no + thing. Compare Old English nāwiht (“nothing”, literally “no thing”), Swedish ingenting (“nothing”, literally “not any thing, no thing”).

cog

A trivial remark especially in the term sweet nothings.


something

Tok Pisin: samting

→ Korean: 썸팅 (sseomting)

From Middle English somþyng, some-thing, som thing, sum thinge, sum þinge, from Old English sum þing (literally “some thing”), equivalent to some + thing. Compare Old English āwiht (“something”, literally “some thing, any thing”), Swedish någonting (“something”, literally “some thing, any thing”).

look like something the cat's dragged in

something is rotten in the state of Denmark

there is something rotten in the state of Denmark

She has a certain something.

(colloquial, of a person) A talent or quality that is difficult to specify.


moor

From Middle English mor, from Old English mōr, from Proto-West Germanic *mōr, from Proto-Germanic *mōraz, from Proto-Indo-European *móri. Cognates include Welsh môr, Old Irish muir (from Proto-Celtic *mori); Scots muir, Dutch moer, Old Saxon mōr, Old Saxon mūr, German Moor and perhaps also Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹 (marei). See mere.

[möː(ə̯)~mʊ̈ː(ə̯)]

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-moor.wav

maw (most non-rhotic accents with the pour–poor merger)

A cold, biting wind blew across the moor, and the travellers hastened their step.

In her girlish age, she kept sheep on the moor.

the ruins yet resting in the wild moors

1609, Richard Carew, The Survey of Cornwall. […], new edition, London: […] B. Law, […]; Penzance, Cornwall: J. Hewett, published 1769, →OCLC:

And now, without a word of warning from the Ghost, they stood upon a bleak and desert moor, where monstrous masses of rude stone were cast about, as though it were the burial-place of giants; and water spread itself wheresoever it listed, or would have done so, but for the frost that held it prisoner; and nothing grew but moss and furze, and coarse rank grass.

1843, Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, →OCLC, pages 101-102:

An extensive waste covered with patches of heath, and having a poor, light (and usually acidic) soil, but sometimes marshy, and abounding in peat; a heath. (Compare bog, peatland, marsh, swamp, fen.)

بِرْكَة

region with poor, marshy soil, peat and heath


anybody

Anybody will do.

Is there anybody inside?

Any one out of an indefinite number of persons; anyone; any person.


anyone

From Middle English eny on, ony one, equivalent to any + one.

Almost anyone can change a light bulb.

The liar's punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else.

1891, George Bernard Shaw, Quintessence of Ibsenism:

“[…] Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm straight, but this time I had six thousand quid at stake. […] I laid 'em long odds because it wasn't in the nature of things that Wynbolt could beat all of them champs. Then—then he smashed one after another, until I got windy—nervous as you might say. […]”

1935, George Goodchild, chapter 8, in Death on the Centre Court:

It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: perhaps out of a desire to escape the gravity of this world or to get a preview of the next; […].

2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36:


anything

From Middle English anything, enything, onything, from Late Old English aniþing, from earlier ǣniġ þing (literally “any thing”), equivalent to any + thing.

I would not do it for anything.

Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language […] his clerks […] understood him very well. If he had written a love letter, or a farce, or a ballade, or a story, no one, either clerks, or friends, or compositors, would have understood anything but a word here and a word there.

1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:

In America alone, people spent $170 billion on “direct marketing”—junk mail of both the physical and electronic varieties—last year. Yet of those who received unsolicited adverts through the post, only 3% bought anything as a result. If the bumf arrived electronically, the take-up rate was 0.1%. And for online adverts the “conversion” into sales was a minuscule 0.01%.

2013 May 25, “No hiding place”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8837, page 74:

Any object, act, state, event, or fact whatsoever; a thing of any kind; something or other.

coś

'something' e.g. 'I have never done anything like that.'


anywhere

A person without strong cultural or social ties to a specific place; a cosmopolite.


everywhere

From Middle English eauerihwer, from Old English æfre + gehwær. By surface analysis, every + where.

We went to Europe last year and went everywhere: Berlin, Paris, London, and Madrid.

When I shop for shoes, I like to look everywhere.

I've looked everywhere in the house and still can't find my glasses.

(colloquial, hyperbolic) In or to a few or more locations.


somewhere

A person with strong cultural or social ties to a specific place.


everything

call someone everything but a child of God

if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail

there is a time and place for everything

It took everything in me to resist the temptation to skip work on my birthday.


nowhere

From Middle English nowher, from Old English nōhwēr, nāhwǣr, from nā- + hwǣr. By surface analysis, no + where.
Adjective usage is taken from phrases like nowhere on the map (signifying the location was too small or too insignificant to be listed), nowhere you want to be, etc.

They went on a cruise to nowhere.

While they paced the platform of the station, they reviewed the career of misdemeanours—Nutley, Chiddiugstone, Midhurst, Penn, and many nowheres, and now Aylesbury.

1912, Charles Inge, “Nemesis or Bad Luck?”, in The Windsor magazine, volume 36, page 95:

On a warm summer's evening On a train bound for nowhere I met up with the gambler

1976, “The Gambler”, Don Schlitz (lyrics):

Oh, not the middle of nowhere like the rest of Indiana, but a nowhere so flat and ugly you want to lie down in a ditch and never get up again.

1996 Oct, Indianapolis Monthly, volume 20, number 2, page 115:

But some Nowheres do still exist and are there to be found by any genuinely free spirit willing to hook a caravan behind his four-wheel-drive and dream, say, of finding that isolated campsite beside an as yet undiscovered waterhole

2005, Dave Finkelstein with Jack London and Philip Caputo, Greater Nowheres: Wanderings Across the Outback, page xxiv:


how many

We've lost quite a few; I don't know exactly how many.

And I saw how many were destroying the simplicity, and betraying the truth.

1800, George Fox, A Journal Or Historical Account of the Life, Travels, Sufferings, Christian Exsperiences, and Labour of Love, in the work of the Ministry:

Biff then stated, “Take how many you want, they're $700 a piece."

2004, John P. Sutton, Thin White Lines, page 233:

I'll phone later and confirm how many I want.

2012, Charlie Gardner, Rotten Timbers, →ISBN, page 143:

The sticks are now going around, and take how many you want.

2016, L. James Dempsey, Blackfoot War Art: Pictographs of the Reservation Period, 1880–2000:


yo

Yo sandwich has only bacon in it. Want some ketchup on that?

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

(colloquial) Pronunciation spelling of your.


ma

(dialectal, informal) Alternative spelling of my


yer

Most likely from the intrusive R, between "yeah" (/jəː/) and a non-high vowel (/ə/, /ɪə/, /ɑː/, /ɔː/). For example, "Yeah-r-I know" (/jəɹ ʌɪ nəʊ/)

(UK, slang) Pronunciation spelling of yeah, yes.


yer

"Thet one in the Formosa Channel was tremenjus. The velocity of the wind tetched a ’undred and forty mile,—so it was computed at Taipei,— arfter which it blew the wind gedge away. Yer need a string to yer ’at in a breeze like thet!"

1916 April 13, Oswald Kendall, “The Romance of the Martin Connor”, in The Youth's Companion, volume 90, number 15, page 198, column 2:

'Still, yer got nice looks,' said Ella.

(UK, slang, uncommon) Pronunciation spelling of you. (plural or singular)


yer

Yer a lotta nosey parkers.

1991, Kathleen Dayus, Where There's Life, London: Virago Press Ltd:

‘Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh,’ said Hagrid. ‘Harry – yer a wizard.’

1997 June 26, J. K. Rowling [pseudonym; Joanne Rowling], chapter IV, in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter; 1), London: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN:

(UK, slang) Pronunciation spelling of you're, you are.


yer

'Make yer way down to the station,' he said.

1991, Thomas Hayden, The Killing Frost, London: Random Century Group:

‘Las’ time I saw you, you was only a baby,’ said the giant. ‘Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh’ve got yer mum’s eyes.’

Old Lady: 'HOLLER AT THAT FELLER IN THE CHEST DOWNSTAIRS. IF Y'NEED CARDS, HE'S YER MAIN MAN, HEH HEH!'

2019 December 10, Yacht Club Games, Shovel Knight: King of Cards, Nintendo 3DS, level/area: House of Joustus:

(UK, Southern US, dialectal) Pronunciation spelling of your.


ain

Bobby Shaftoe's bright and fair,
Combing down his yellow hair,
He's my ain for evermair,
Bonny Bobby Shaftoe.

1998, Jonathan Langley, Collins Bedtime Treasury of Nursery Rhymes and Tales, Bobby Shaftoe, page 86:


someplace

We can't find the damned thing, but it must be someplace.


anyplace

It’s funny, I’ve never felt anyplace was home before.

1956, James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room, Penguin, published 2001, Part 2, Chapter 2:

(informal, chiefly US) At a non-specific place; anywhere.


eir

Coined by Christine M. Elverson by removing "th" from their.

Eir sentences would sound smoother since ey wouldn’t clutter them with the old sexist pronouns. And if ey should trip up in the new usage, ey would only have emself to blame.

1975 August 23, Judie Black, “Ey has a word for it”, in Chicago Tribune, section 1, page 12:

A person whose habit is to stand and walk splay-footed may *think* eir feet are straight ahead, when they are actually pointed only slightly less out.

1996 December 22, Shirley Worth, “New To Yoga”, in alt.yoga (Usenet), message-ID <32BDCA0C.6C8@worth.org>:

If a mobile user is far from eir home area, ey will pay a long-distance fee for carriage of the call *from* eir home area, just as a caller would pay long-distance on a call *to* that area.

1997 November 25, Scott Robert Dawson, “Who Pays for Cellular Calls”, in alt.cellular (Usenet), message-ID <347acf56.333719@news.interlog.com>:

The adult worries much less; is cautious, sensible and knows how to protect emself and eir system from attack and error.

2004 March 31, Sue Thomas, Hello World : travels in virtuality, Raw Nerve Books, →ISBN, →OL, page 78:

And ultimately: I think my readers are mature enough that knowing eir assigned gender is not going to give them an “excuse” to misgender em.

2011 March 15, RJ Edwards, “#89: New Friend”, in Riot Nrrd, retrieved 2012-10-06:

“You idiot girl! Are you childsick?” She grabbed Asu’s wrist; Asu made no effort to twist away. “Sand and soil, tell me you’re not pregnant. Is it that—what’s eir name? Aeran? Have you lain with em? Tell me!”
[…]
Empre waded out to help them cross the last stretch. More people, a few hundred, perhaps, had gathered along the shore. One of them came running at Melu with a cry—she threw up her arms in defense. But it was Aeran, only Aeran. E seized Asu and clasped her close, eir eyes closed tightly as e sobbed eir relief.

2023, Aimee Ogden, “A Half-Remembered World”, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, vol. 145, no. 1-2, whole no. 768 (July/August 2023), pages 146-202

(rare, nonstandard) Belonging to em, gender-neutral third-person singular possessive adjective, equivalent to the singular their and coordinate with his and her.


wor

Likely ultimately a borrowing into Northumbrian Old English from Old Norse várr (“our”) (from the same Proto-Germanic root *unseraz that produced Standard English our). Compare Scots wir.

If ye gannin oot the neet ye betta tell wor Jimmy.


everyplace

He told me that Buster took her face 'bout right off. Said there's guts and hair everyplace. There's a platoon or so of Payton's bluejackets up there on the View now.


mah

Adventurer: 'AFTER YEARS OF ADVENTURING... I HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED AT THE STREETPASS ARENA. ONCE I REST MAH HOOFS, I'M GOING TO RECORD MY SECRET BATTLE TECHNIQUE.'

2014 June 26, Yacht Club Games, Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope, Nintendo 3DS, level/area: Streetpass Arena:

(African-American Vernacular, Southern US) Pronunciation spelling of my.


I's

From I + 's (contraction of is, has, and was).

I's going now.

(nonstandard, dialectal) Contraction of I is.

i's

eye dialect version of it's (it is), rather than I is, but is often written the same as I's because it is at the beginning of a sentence.


hisn

From Middle English hisen, ultimately corresponding to an alteration of his after mine, thine.

I will not show him this letter of yours, though you seem to desire it, lest it should provoke him to be too severe a schoolmaster, when you are his'n.

1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter XXXII”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; […], →OCLC:

An' every feller felt ez though all Mexico wuz hisn.

1848, James Russell Lowell, The Biglow Papers:

But in the absolute whosen is often substituted, as in "if it ain't hisn, then whosen is it?" The imitation is obvious.

[1921 [1919], H. L. Mencken, The American Language, 2nd edition, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 297:

(now dialectal, British and US, especially Appalachia) His.


hys

Petti’s effort was motivated by hys desire to change a practice that hy recognized as discriminatory, and thus clearly contrary to CC’s values.

2014, Han Sayles, “Beyond Inclusivity: An investigation of CC’s new trans-inclusive healthcare”, in Cipher Magazine (Colorado College), archived from the original on 2020-11-18, page 8:

(LGBTQ, nonstandard) Gender-variant or gender-neutral spelling of his.


hes

The idea was hes not mine.

(nonstandard, uncommon) Alternative form of his when pronounced as he's; that that belongs to him.


muh

Evidently popularized circa early 2010s by memes on 4chan, but usage online is first attested in c. 2003. Rumored ultimately to be a mocking influence of stereotypical AAVE phonology.

muh free software

muh constitution

muh freedom

(Internet slang, often derogatory) Pronunciation spelling of my.


your guys's

tlb

(chiefly Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand, colloquial, chiefly proscribed)


Thy

Honorific alternative letter-case form of thy, sometimes used when referring to God or another important figure who is understood from context.


yo'

(African-American Vernacular) Alternative spelling of yo (non-rhotic with dough-door merger pronunciation of your)


everypony

From every + pony, by analogy with everybody.

Hi everypony! I'm back from Germany and my luck held out! You'd never believe what I found!

1998 July 13, Buckbuddy [username], “Back from Germany”, in alt.toys.my-little-pony (Usenet):

why don't a^([sic]) draw a picture of everypony on the newsgroup, in their pony selves!

1998 September 6, Glory, “say cheese!”, in alt.toys.my-little-pony (Usenet):

Thanks so very much EVERYPONY! I really appreciate this! I was so stumped!!

1999 September 14, Michelle, “Re: Wanna help name a custom?”, in alt.toys.my-little-pony (Usenet):

(My Little Pony fandom slang) Everybody.


anypony

From any + pony, by analogy with anybody.

As I said, I'm writing a fanfic. I need to know if anypony in particular ~doesn't~ want to be in it.

1998 October 1, Jennifer McMichael, “I'm writing a fanfic....”, in alt.toys.my-little-pony (Usenet):

As stated before, if anypony would like one, the cost is $15 plus shipping.

1999 August 17, luv...@geocities.com [username], “My MLP T-shirt”, in alt.toys.my-little-pony (Usenet):

Heyas, I finally got around to drawing a pic of my unicorn self, if anypony wants to see it and let me know if it could use some changes before I get to the coloring of it.

1999 October 29, Pouncer [username], “Pouncer Drawing, not colored yet”, in alt.toys.my-little-pony (Usenet):


yousser

(Ireland, especially Dublin) Alternative form of yizzer


yizzer

Come in for yizzer tea.

(Ireland, especially Dublin) Your (plural).


somepony

From some + pony, by analogy with somebody.

I messaged somepony over Tumblr last night / She said "RAWR X3" so it's true love at first sight

2021, Vylet Pony (lyrics and music), “ANTONYMPH”, in CUTIEMARKS (And The Things That Bind Us):


whatlike

There was nothing but eggs, butter, and cheese in the house, and the lady demurred: whatlike fare was that to set before a prince?

1895, George Eyre-Todd, Scotland Picturesque and Traditional, page 270:


shis

(rare, neologism, gender-neutral) Belonging to them; their.


somefur

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-somefur.wav

From some + fur (“clipping of furry”), perhaps by analogy with somepony from the My Little Pony media franchise, itself an analogy with somebody.

(furry fandom slang, rare) Somebody; or, some furry.


everyfur

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-everyfur.wav

From every + fur (“clipping of furry”), perhaps by analogy with everypony from the My Little Pony media franchise, itself an analogy with everybody.

Attention Everyfur...
Peter Da Silva has set-up wonderful SPAM-FREE furry newsgroups and I would like to do my part to help bring furry fans over to this wonderful system.

1996 December 3, AberDeen Foxx, “FUR: Everyfur switch to FUR.*”, in alt.fan.furry (Usenet):

We shoed up at almost same time, Ziphorra. Soon here will be so much of food so we could open a picnic and invite everyfur, what do you think?

2002 April 2, Darquan, “Hello, everyfur”, in alt.lifestyle.furry, Google Groups:

Merry Christmas, everyone and everyfur! (in a few hours, anyway)

Hi, everyfur! I've been in the Furry Fandom for 4 years, and I guess I'm still considered a 13-year-old (Because if you aren't 21, you're 13 until you are 21 by legal age.) and I'm what the fandom calls, a 'Young Fur'. I've been seeing a lot of posts all over the place because people are complaining about Young Furs wanting to have fursuits.

2017 April 12, u/Nuwknon, “Younger Furs In The Fandom Wanting Fursuits”, in r/furry, Reddit:

Everyfur help Juno out. They Arknights, Blue Lock, Kengan, and recently got blasted by the evil devils of Car Seat Headrest

(furry fandom) Everybody; or, every furry.