himself

head

himself (the third person singular, masculine, personal pronoun, reflexive form of he, feminine herself, neuter itself, plural themselves, gender-neutral singular himself or themselves or themself)

en-pron

herself (feminine)
itself (neuter)
themselves (plural)
himself (gender-neutral singular)
themselves (gender-neutral singular)
themself (gender-neutral singular)

From Middle English hymself, from Old English him selfum. Equivalent to him + -self.

give him enough rope and he'll hang himself

he who digs a pit for others falls in himself

He injured himself.

Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. He was dressed out in broad gaiters and bright tweeds, like an English tourist, and his face might have belonged to Dagon, idol of the Philistines.

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:

(reflexive pronoun) Him; the male object of a verb or preposition that also appears as the subject

𐔼𐕖𐕒𐕡𐕎𐕖𐕒𐕡

(reflexive) male person as the previously mentioned object

себе́ (sebé) (dative case, prepositional case)

He was injured himself.

Therefore the Lord himſelfe ſhal giue you a ſigne:[…].

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 7:14, column 2:

The [Isaac] Newton that emerges from the [unpublished] manuscripts is far from the popular image of a rational practitioner of cold and pure reason. The architect of modern science was himself not very modern. He was obsessed with alchemy.

2014 June 21, “Magician’s brain”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8892:

(emphatic) He; used as an intensifier, often to emphasize that the referent is the exclusive participant in the predicate

Yet it is that himselfe had been liberally gratified by his Unkle with militarie rewards, before ever he went to warres.

1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 7, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

With shame remembers, while himself was one / Of the same herd, himself the same had done.

Dennis: His glass is there and himself is in the toilet.

1998, Kirk Jones, Waking Ned, Tomboy films:

(Ireland, otherwise archaic) The subject or non-reflexive object of a predicate; he himself.

Has himself come down to breakfast yet?

Have you seen himself yet this morning?

(Ireland) The subject or non-reflexive object of a predicate; he (used of upper-class gentlemen, or sarcastically, of men who imagine themselves to be more important than others)


themselves

head

themselves (third-person, reflexive of they)

same

masculine inanimate and all other genders

mateixos

the persons of unspecified gender previously mentioned, as the object of a verb or following a preposition

(reflexively):
They’ve hurt themselves.

(after a preposition):
They fought among themselves.

(for emphasis):
They are going to try climbing Mount Everest themselves.

The preposterous altruism too![…]Resist not evil. It is an insane immolation of self—as bad intrinsically as fakirs stabbing themselves or anchorites warping their spines in caves scarcely large enough for a fair-sized dog.

1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XVI, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

personal pronoun
personal pronoun#English

(reflexive pronoun) The reflexive case of they, the third-person plural personal pronoun. The group of people, animals, or objects previously mentioned, as the object of a verb or following a preposition (also used for emphasis).

сябе́

the reflexive case of they, the third-person plural personal pronoun

(reflexively):
Would whoever stole my phone please make themselves known.

(after a preposition):
I don't want anyone to fight among themselves.

(for emphasis):
Everyone must do it themselves.

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Philippians 2:3:

In fact she was so busy doing all the things that anyone might, who finds themselves alone in an empty house, that she did not notice at first when it began to turn dusk and the rooms to grow dim.

1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, published 1993, →ISBN, page 18:

(reflexive pronoun) The reflexive case of they, the third-person singular personal pronoun. The single person previously mentioned, as the object of a verb or following a preposition (also used for emphasis).


we

we (first-person plural nominative case, objective case us, possessive determiner our, possessive pronoun ours, reflexive ourselves, reflexive singular ourself)

us (objective)
our (determiner possessive)
ours (possessive pronoun without-noun)
ourselves (reflexive)
ourself (reflexive singular)

Jamaican Creole: wi

Sranan Tongo: wi

From Middle English we, from Old English wē (“we”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, *wiz (“we”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéy (“we (plural)”). Cognate with Scots wee, we (“we”), North Frisian we (“we”), West Frisian wy (“we”), Low German wi (“we”), Dutch we, wij (“we”), German wir (“we”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian vi (“we”), Icelandic vér, við (“we”), Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬉𐬨 (vaēm), Sanskrit वयम् (vayám).

inh

the devil we know is better than the devil we don't know

the real treasure is the friends we made along the way

what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive

what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive

It’s time to overcome queasiness and restraint. We, the liberal and progressive people of the world, are at war with the far right to save the earth.

2017 February 20, Paul Mason, “Climate scepticism is a far-right badge of honour – even in sweltering Australia”, in the Guardian:

(personal) The speakers/writers, or the speaker/writer and at least one other person (not the person being addressed). (This is the exclusive we.)

awp

generic we (the speaker and at least one other person, regardless of whether it's the person being addressed)

我们

generic in most dialects, but exclusive in some

(usually indicated by the suffix only) -unk

kami

exclusive we (the speaker and at least one other person, but excluding the person(s) being addressed)

(personal) The speaker(s)/writer(s) and the person(s) being addressed. (This is the inclusive we.)

kita

inclusive we (the speaker and the person(s) being addressed, and possibly others)

In light of the promulgation of the aforementioned laws and decisions, we (the administration) propose to make the following amendments to local legislation to implement the relevant requirements on oath taking by public officers.

2021, Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, “Paper No. CMAB C4/9/1”, in Documents of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, page 1:

(personal) The institution which the speaker/writer is acting for. (This is the editorial we, used by writers and others when speaking with the authority of their publication or organisation.)

(personal, royal) The sovereign alone in their capacity as monarch. (This is the royal we. The reflexive case of this sense of we is ourself.)

نحن

the royal we (referring to the sovereign alone acting in their capacity as monarch)

How are we all tonight?

As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels.

2013 July-August, Stephen P. Lownie, David M. Pelz, “Stents to Prevent Stroke”, in American Scientist:

(personal) The plural form of you, including everyone being addressed.

How are we feeling this morning?

“Well, my dear ma’am, and how are we?” inquired Wosky in a soothing tone. / “Very ill, doctor—very ill,” said Mrs. Bloss in a whisper.

1836, “Boz” [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], “The Boarding-House”, in Sketches by “Boz,” Illustrative of Every-day Life, and Every-day People. […], volume I, London: John Macrone, […], →OCLC, chapter II, page 204:

Are we ready to go to bed, sweetie?

2008 May 13, Tom Armstrong, Marvin (comic):

(personal, often considered patronising) A second- or third-person pronoun for a person in the speaker's care.

Hey guys, how's it going? Today we are going to be playing a new game.

All Vice President [Mike] Pence has to do is send it back to the states to recertify and we become president and you are the happiest people.

2021 January 6, 3:38:03 from the start, in Rally on Electoral College Vote Certification (television broadcast), spoken by Donald Trump, Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN):

[Today is] not a day to think about fishing so we will get back to working on the shelter. [cut in video] Cool, so I guess the best analogy for this, then, is that we've basically framed the house, and now we get to shingle.

2021 June 24, “Far from Home” (3:07 from the start), in Alone, season 9, episode 4 (televison production), spoken by Theresa Emmerich Kamper, via HISTORY Channel:

The elephant in the room, you know, we had a stroke back in May.

2022 October 25, 32:11 from the start, Vote 2022, in Joseph Camp, director, PBS NewsHour (television production), spoken by John Fetterman, via Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), archived from the original on 2022-10-25:

(colloquial) The speaker themselves, used to imply connection between the speaker's experiences and a group of listeners. (Compare the plural of modesty.)

(bridge) The side which is keeping score.


we

He was a propa gadgie, and always bought we drinks after a long shift.
He was a great guy, and always bought us drinks after a long shift.

And what have you done for we since? Nowt!
And what have you done for us since? Nothing!


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.

But if I finish all of my chores and you finish thine / Then tonight we're gonna party like it's 1699

1996, Weird Al Yankovic (lyrics and music), “Amish Paradise”, in Bad Hair Day:

(archaic) Singular second person possessive pronoun; yours.


feel

(dialectal or obsolete) Alternative form of fele


who

head

who (singular or plural, nominative case, objective whom, who, possessive whose)

whom (objective)
who (objective)
whose (possessive)

From Middle English who, hwo, huo, wha, hwoa, hwa, from Old English hwā (dative hwām, genitive hwæs), from Proto-West Germanic *hwaʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷos, *kʷis.
The sound change /hw/ > /h/ (without a corresponding change in spelling) was due to wh-cluster reduction after an irregular change of /ɑː/ to /oː/ in Middle English (instead of the expected /ɔː/) and further to /uː/ regularly in Early Modern English. A similar change occurred in two. Compare how, which underwent wh-reduction earlier (in Old English), and thus is spelt with h.
Compare Scots wha, West Frisian wa, Dutch wie, Low German we, German wer, Swedish vem, Danish hvem, Norwegian Bokmål hvem, Norwegian Nynorsk kven, Icelandic hver.

谁

sûi, chûi, chūi, cho̍ah, chiâ, chôa, tiâng, siáng, siâng

啥物人

siáⁿ-mih-lâng, siáⁿ-mí-lâng, sáng-n̂g, siàng-n̂g

Who is that? (direct question)

I don't know who it is. (indirect question)

Ia[go]. Hee’s married. Caſ[ſio]. To who? […] Ia[go]. Marry to. ---- Come Captaine, will you goe? Oth[ello]. Ha, with who?

c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragœdy of Othello, the Moore of Venice. […] (First Quarto), London: […] N[icholas] O[kes] for Thomas Walkley, […], published 1622, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 8:

(interrogative) What person or people; which person or people; asks for the identity of someone; used in a direct or indirect question.

That's the man who works at the newsagent. (defining)

My sister, who works in the accounts department, just got promoted to manager. (non-defining)

Chorban: I don't really think my scanning disturbs them, but the authorities might disagree.
Chorban: I'd like to do it more openly, but it's not really worth getting arrested over.
Shepard: I could help you out. I'm not worried about the authorities.
Chorban: I don't even know who you are.

2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:

Despite personal schisms and differences in spiritual experience, there is a very coherent theology of Snape shared between the wives. To examine this manifestation of religious fandom, I will first discuss the canon scepticism and anti-Rowling sentiment that helps to contextualise the wider belief in Snape as a character who extends beyond book and film.

2014 March 3, Zoe Alderton, “‘Snapewives’ and ‘Snapeism’: A Fiction-Based Religion within the Harry Potter Fandom”, in Religions, volume 5, number 1, MDPI, →DOI, pages 219–257:

(relative) Introduces a relative clause having a human antecedent.

That's the man who I saw earlier. (defining)

My brother, who you met the other day, is coming to stay for the weekend. (non-defining)

(non-formal) With antecedent as object: whom.

Who insults my mother insults me.

Give it to who deserves it. (marginal usage)

Who steals my purse steals trash.

c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:

(fused relative, archaic or marginal) Whoever, he who, they who.

fused relative; archaic or marginal; fused relative; archaic or marginal

Who are the Miami Heat?

(informal, especially non-US) Also used with names of collective nouns that are groups of people, especially singularly-named musical groups or sports teams.


me

me (first-person singular pronoun, referring to the speaker)

en-pron

Bislama: mi

Jamaican Creole: mi

Nigerian Pidgin: mi

Pijin: mi

Sranan Tongo: mi

Ancient Greek language
Dutch language
German language
Icelandic language
Low German language
Me
Middle English language
North Frisian language
Sanskrit language
Saterland Frisian language
Scots language

From Middle English me, from Old English mē (“me”, originally dative, but later also accusative), from Proto-West Germanic *miʀ, from Proto-Germanic *miz (“me”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁me- (“me”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots me (“me”), North Frisian me (“me”), Saterland Frisian mie (“me”), Dutch me, mij (“me”), Low German mi (“me”), German mir (“me”, dative), Icelandic mér (“me”, dative), Latin mē (“me”), Ancient Greek μέ (mé), ἐμέ (emé, “me”), Sanskrit मा (mā, “me”).

inh

Can you hear me?

He gave me this.

Shew me a token foꝛ good, that they which hate me may ſee it, and bee aſhamed: becauſe thou, Lord, hast holpen me, and comfoꝛted me.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 86:17:

The first-person singular, as the object (of a verb, preposition, etc).

As the object (direct or indirect) of a verb.

And I awoke, and found me here.

1819, John Keats, La Belle Dame sans Merci:

(archaic, proscribed) Myself; as a reflexive direct object of a verb.

men

only when no other indication of being the object is given

When I get to college, I'm gonna get me a white Nissan Sentra.

(colloquial, proscribed) Myself; as a reflexive indirect object of a verb; the ethical dative.

minä

depending on the case, one of the inflictions of this word

Come with me.

minä

depending on the case, one of the inflections of this word

It wasn't me.

It's either me or Jeremy Corbyn.

2017, Theresa May, “Andrew Neil interviews Theresa May: full transcript”, in The Spectator, archived from the original on 2017-05-22:

(sometimes proscribed) As the complement of the copula (be).

Who's there? —Me.

Who did this? —Me. I did it. (≈ It was me. I did it.)

Used for the pronoun in isolation or in apposition.

Me and my friends played a game.

[It was] literally all me and my astrophysicist colleagues could talk about.

Stella and me have opted to take a course called 'Autobiography and Fiction'.

(nonstandard or proscribed) I, the first-person singular, as the subject.

(informal, with a conjunction, often proscribed) As the subject of a verb.

One of them, whose sobriquet was Big-headed Blackboy, was stretched out before the fire, and no answer could be obtained from him, but a drawling repetition, in grunts of displeasure, of "Bel (not) me want to go.

1844, Charles Wilkes, Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition, volume II:

Well he said me mustn’t eat ’nanas cause ’nanas would make me sick.

1899 July 20, Mrs. A[lexander] J[effrey] McKelway [i.e., Lavinia Rutherford McKelway], “Children’s Department”, in A[lexander] J[effrey] McKelway, editor, Presbyterian Standard, volume XLI, number 28, Charlotte, N.C.: The Presbyterian Publishing Company, page 14, column 1:

Whoa! That was about the coolest thing ever! Me gotta see that again.

2005 October 10, Michael Chapman; Matthew Chapman, “Teen Girl Squad Issue #10”, in Homestar Runner, spoken by Strong Bad (Matthew Chapman):

(nonstandard, not with a conjunction) As the subject of a verb. Sometimes used to indicate or imitate limited English fluency.

“I should stick to Tarzan,” he [Johnny Weissmuller] explains. “You see, I’m no actor. Well, I didn’t have to act in ‘Tarzan, the Ape Man’—just said, ‘Me Tarzan, you Jane.’ I'll never be able to act.”

1932 June, Katherine Albert, “Hey! Hey! Here Comes Johnny”, in James R. Quirk, editor, Photoplay, volume XLII, number 1, Chicago, Ill.: Photoplay Publishing Company, page 119, column 2:

May opened the door, and a huge Indian walked into the room. “Me Bear Tracks,” he said. “Me hungry.”

1954 February 3, Mrs. John F. Underhill, “The Last Leaf; Chapter Three: Bear Tracks”, in Lawrence Maxwell, editor, Junior Guide, volume 2, number 5, Washington, D.C., page 7, column 2:

(nonstandard, in apposition) Would be the subject of a copula in standard English, though the copula is omitted; used to indicate or imitate limited English fluency.


ye

From Middle English ye, ȝe, from Old English ġē (“ye”), the nominative case of the second-person plural personal pronoun, from Proto-West Germanic *jiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *jīz, a North-West variant of Proto-Germanic *jūz (“ye”), from Proto-Indo-European *yūs, *yū́ (“ye”), plural of *túh₂. Cognate with Scots ye (“ye”), Saterland Frisian jie, Dutch gij, ge, jij, je (“ye”), Low German ji, jie (“ye”), German ihr (“ye”), Danish and Swedish I (“ye”), Icelandic ér (“ye”), Latvian jūs (“ye”). See also you.

My liefe (ſayd ſhe) ye know, that long ygo, / Whileſt ye in durance dwelt, ye to me gaue / A little mayde, the which ye chylded tho ; / The ſame againe if now ye liſt to haue, / The ſame is yonder Lady, whom high God did ſaue.

1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], part II (books IV–VI), London: […] [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, stanza 17, page 512:

Queſtion me then no more; whate'er ye want, / Ask in my Name, and God ſhall ſurely grant. / You've asked nothing yet for Jesus sake : / Ask and receive, and of my joyes partake.

1671, Elisha Coles, chapter 6, in ΧΡΙΣΤΟΛΟΓΙΑ: Or, a Metrical Paraphraſe on the Hiſtory of Our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt : Dedicated to His Univerſal Church:

Know Ye that We have declared and by these Presents do declare our Will and Pleasure as follows—[…]

1995, Elizabeth II, “Legal Notice 247 of 1996”, in Hong Kong Government Gazette, page B1096:

(archaic outside Northern England, Cornwall, Ireland, Newfoundland) You (the people being addressed).

Know ye now, Bulkington? Glimpses do ye seem to see of that mortally intolerable truth; that all deep, earnest thinking is but the intrepid effort of the soul to keep the open independence of her sea; [...]

1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, chapter 23:

(archaic) You (the singular person being addressed).


self

Southern US, African-American Vernacular, dated

From Middle English self, silf, sulf, from Old English self, seolf, sylf, from Proto-Germanic *selbaz. Cognates include Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌱𐌰 (silba), German selbst and Dutch zelf.

This argument was put forward by the defendant self.

Now that I put on my glasses I could see that the hut was empty but for our two selves; that it must have been absolutely empty till we entered.

1898 July 18, The Leader, Melbourne, page 34, column 1:

But what unites many of these rural railways is that they are shadows of their former selves.

2024 August 21, Richard Foster, “Cultivating the growth in leisure travel”, in RAIL, number 1016, page 37:

(obsolete) Himself, herself, itself, themselves; that specific (person mentioned).

I made out a cheque, payable to self, which cheered me up somewhat.


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”).

什哩

siit⁶ 'li⁴, xit⁶ 'li⁴, siit⁶ li, xit⁶ li

啥货

siáⁿ-hòe, siáⁿ-hè, sáⁿ-hòe, sáⁿ-hè, sáⁿ-hèr

What is your name?

Ask them what they want.

The gym is across from … what? — The gym is across from the lounge. — Across from the lounge. Right. Thanks!
Audio (US): (file)

2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

(interrogative) Which thing, event, circumstance, etc.: used in asking for the specification of an identity, quantity, quality, etc.

He knows what he wants.

What is amazing is his boundless energy.

And, what's even worse, I have to work on Sunday too.

(fused relative) That which; those that; the thing(s) that.

مَا

fused relative pronoun: that which; those that; the thing(s) that

I will do what I can to help you.

What is mine is yours.

(fused relative) Anything that; all that; whatever.

'Ere! There's that bloke what I saw earlier!

That’s her; that’s the thing what has stole his heart from me.

1902, J. M. Barrie, The Admirable Crichton:

For, it is a name what strikes fear in the heart of anyone what hears it.

(relative, nonstandard) That; which; who.


hit

head

hit (subjective and objective hit, reflexive and intensive hitself, possessive adjective and noun hits)

hit (objective subjective)
hitself (emphatic reflexive)
hits (adjective noun possessive)

From Middle English hit (“it”), from Old English hit (“it”), from Proto-Germanic *hit (“this, this one”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe-, *ḱey- (“this, here”). Cognate with Dutch het (“it”). More at it; also note 'it.

But how hit was to come about didn't appear.

1922, Philip Gengembre Hubert, The Atlantic monthly, volume 130:

Now, George, grease it good, an' let hit slide down the hill hits own way.

1998, Nancy A. Walker, What's so funny?: humor in American culture:


there

From Middle English there, ther, thare, thar, thore, from Old English þēr, þǣr, þār (“there; at that place”), from Proto-West Germanic *þār, from Proto-Germanic *þar (“at that place; there”), from Proto-Indo-European *tó-r (“there”), from demonstrative pronominal base *to- (“the, that”) + adverbial suffix *-r̥.
Cognate with Scots thar, thair (“there”), North Frisian dear, deer, där (“there”), Saterland Frisian deer (“there”), West Frisian dêr (“there”), Dutch daar (“there”), Low German dar (“there”), German da, dar- (“there”), Danish der (“there”), Norwegian der (“there”), Swedish där (“there”), Icelandic þar (“in that place, there”).

inh

There are two apples on the table. [=Two apples are on the table.]

There is no way to do it. [=No way to do it exists.]

Is there an answer? [=Does an answer exist?]

No, there isn't. [=No, one doesn't exist.]

1908, C. H. Bovill (lyrics), Jerome D. Kern (music), There’s Something Rather Odd About Augustus, song from the musical Fluffy Ruffles,
It's very sad but all the same, / There’s something rather odd about Augustus.

1909, Leo Tolstoy, translator not mentioned, There are No Guilty People, in The Forged Coupon and Other Stories,
There was a time when I tried to change my position, which was not in harmony with my conscience; […] .

There are intentional and unintentional towns.

1918, Fyodor Dostoevsky, translated by Constance Garnett, Notes from Underground, Part 1, II:

Used as an expletive subject of be in its sense of “exist”, with the semantic, usually indefinite subject being postponed or (occasionally) implied.

der

expletive subject of verb of existence: "there is"

If x is a positive number, then there exists [=there is] a positive number y less than x.

There remain several problems with this approach. [=Several problems remain with this approach.]

Once upon a time, in a now-forgotten kingdom, there lived a woodsman with his wife. [=There was a woodsman, who lived with his wife.]

There arose a great wind out of the east. [=There was now a great wind, arising in the east.]

1895, Sabine Baring-Gould, A Book of Nursery Songs and Rhymes: Nursery Songs, XXII: The Tree in the Wood,
All in a wood there grew a fine tree,

1897, James Baldwin, The Story of Abraham Lincoln: The Kentucky Home, in Four Great Americans,
Not far from Hodgensville, in Kentucky, there once lived a man whose name was Thomas Lincoln.

1904, Uriel Waldo Cutler, Stories of King Arthur and His Knights, Chapter XXXI: How Sir Launcelot Found the Holy Grail,
On a night, as he slept, there came a vision unto him, and a voice said, "Launcelot, arise up, and take thine armour, and enter into the first ship that thou shalt find."

Used with other intransitive verbs of existence, in the same sense, or with other intransitive verbs, adding a sense of existence.

There seems to be some difficulty with the papers. [=It seems that there is some difficulty with the papers.]

I expected there to be a simpler solution. [=I expected that there would be a simpler solution.]

There are beginning to be complications. [=It's beginning to be the case that there are complications.]

There have to be two people at the post.

therefor, thereat, thereunder

(in combination with certain prepositions, no longer productive) That.

Hi there, young fellow.

Oh, hello there, Bob, how are you doing?

Hi there! I’m Anna and I live in Washington, D.C.
Audio (US): (file)

(colloquial) Appended to words of greeting etc.


certain

From Middle English certeyn, certein, certain, borrowed from Old French certain, from a Vulgar Latin unattested form *certānus, extended form of Latin certus (“fixed, resolved, certain”), of the same origin as cretus, past participle of cernere (“to separate, perceive, decide”). Displaced native Middle English wis, iwis (“certain, sure”) (from Old English ġewiss (“certain, sure”)) and alternative Middle English spelling sertane (“some, certain”).

der

She mentioned a series of contracts, of which certain are not cited.

[…]certaine of the Jewes banded together[…]

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 23:12, column 2:

(with of) Unnamed or undescribed members (of).


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#x5C;sqrt#x7B;2#x7D; 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.

No one athlete could pull off such a stunt!

No one solution on its own can generate successful change.

2017, Bob Doppelt, Leading Change toward Sustainability: A Change-Management Guide for Business, Government and Civil Society, 2nd edition, Routledge, →ISBN:

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see no, one.

no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American people


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.


From Middle English none, noon, non (“not one”), from Old English nān (“not one, not any, none”), from Proto-West Germanic *nain, from Proto-Germanic *nainaz (“none, nought, nothing”), equivalent to ne (“not”) + one. (Regarding the different phonological development of only and one, see the note in one.)
Cognate with Scots nane (“none”), Saterland Frisian naan, neen (“no, not any, none”), West Frisian neen & gjin (“no, none”), Dutch neen & geen (“no, none”), Low German nēn, neen (“none, no one”), German nein & kein (“no, none”), Latin nōn (“not”).

inh

(relevant negative verb + man (+ann/idir)) can be used

(relevant negative verb + relevant noun (+ann/idir)) can be used

there are none so blind as those who will not see

there's none so blind as those who will not see

None of those people is my father.

Not any of a given number or group.
No one, nobody.

None of those people are my parents.

Alas, none of these people were writing the reviews.

2006, Clive James, North Face of Soho, page 253:

Not any of a given number or group.
No person.

None of those is a good example. None are even acceptable.

None of this meat tastes right.


when

From Middle English when(ne), whanne, from Old English hwonne, from Proto-West Germanic *hwannē, from Proto-West Germanic *hwan, from Proto-Germanic *hwan (“at what time, when”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷis (interrogative base).
Cognate with Dutch wanneer (“when”) and wen (“when, if”), Low German wannehr (“when”), wann (“when”) and wenn (“if, when”), German wann (“when”) and wenn (“when, if”), Gothic 𐍈𐌰𐌽 (ƕan, “when, how”), Latin quandō (“when”). More at who.
Interjection sense: a playful misunderstanding of "say when" (i.e. say something / speak up when you want me to stop) as "say [the word] when".

der

Since when do I need your permission?

[...] ſhortly [...] I'le reſolue you [...] / Theſe happend accidents: till when, be cheerefull [...]

1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 18, column 2:

Homer, to whom the Muses did carouse
A great deep cup with heav'nly nectar fill'd,
The greatest, deepest cup in Jove's great house,
(For Jove himself had so expressly will'd)
He drank off all, nor let one drop be spill'd;
Since when, his brain that had before been dry,
Became the well-spring of all poetry.

1831 (published), John Davies, Orchestra Or, a Poem of Dancing, in Robert Southey, Select Works of the British Poets: From Chaucer to Jonson, with Biographical Sketches, page 706

[This] we imagined might have been owing to some accidental condition of the system, or perhaps idiosyncracy; this led us to a second trial, but we experienced the same inconveniences, since when, we have altogether abandoned their use.

1833, William Potts Dewees, A Treatise on the Diseases of Females, page 495::

So we combined the Kocher-Langenbeck and iliofemoral approach until 1965, since when we have combined the ilioinguinal and Kocher-Langenbeck approaches.

2012, Emile Letournel, Robert Judet, Fractures of the Acetabulum, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 385:


yon

From Middle English yon, from Old English ġeon, from Proto-Germanic *jainaz. Cognate with German jener.

As soon as old Andrew came home, his wife and he, as was natural, instantly began to converse on the events of the preceding night; and in the course of their conversation Andrew said, "Gudeness be about us' Jean, was not yon an awfu' speech o' our bairn's to young Jock Allanson last night?"

(dated or dialectal) That one or those over there.


many

From Middle English many, mani, moni, from Old English maniġ, moniġ, maneġ (“many”), from Proto-West Germanic *manag, from Proto-Germanic *managaz (“some, much, many”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots mony (“many”), North Frisian manag, manig, mäning (“many”), Saterland Frisian monig, moonich (“many”), West Frisian mannich, mennich (“some, many”), Dutch menig (“many”), Low German männig (“many”), German manch, mannig- (“many, some”), Old Norse mangr, Norwegian mang, Swedish mången, Danish mangen, French maint (“many”), Russian мно́гий (mnógij), Serbo-Croatian and Polish mnogi, Czech mnohý, Scottish Gaelic minig
The noun is from Middle English manye, *menye, from Old English manigeo, menigu (“company, multitude, host”), from Proto-West Germanic *managu, *managī, from Proto-Germanic *managō, *managį̄ (“multitude”), from the same root as the determiner. Cognate with Middle Low German menige, menie, menje (“multitude”), Russian много (mnogo), Serbo-Croatian mnogo.

inh

Many are called, but few are chosen.

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:

By some paradoxical evolution rancour and intolerance have been established in the vanguard of primitive Christianity. Mrs. Spoker, in common with many of the stricter disciples of righteousness, was as inclement in demeanour as she was cadaverous in aspect.

1921, Ben Travers, chapter 4, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:

An indefinite large number of people or things.

ብዙ

an indefinite large number of people or things


yous

the list of other second-person pronouns at you

What are yous up to tonight?

‘Dere ain't no use for me dis side, Mr. Chames,’ he said. ‘New York's de spot. Youse don't want none of me, now you're married.’

‘Yous will meet us here outside this pub,’ Harry Curniskey said.

‘But what I also seen is that youse have never had a real man before, datin' all them boys. Youse have never had anyone who'd stand up to youse.’

You think yous can live wi'oot money! Few months doon this hell, you'll murder for money!

1992, Edward Bond, In the Company of Men:

He tossed off half of the drink and I gave him a refill. "What can I do for youse?" "First off, information."

2010, Peter Corris, Torn Apart, Allen and Unwin, page 81:


u

head

u (second person, singular or plural, nominative or objective, possessive determiner ur, possessive pronoun urs, singular reflexive urself, plural reflexive urselves)

en-pron

ur (determiner possessive)
urs (possessive pronoun without-noun)
urself (reflexive singular)
urselves (plural reflexive)

t8k me w u

What r u doing? Jacquie texted Opal. She put her phone on the bed and went to her suitcase to get her swimsuit.

2018, Tommy Orange, “Jacquie Red Feather”, in There There, New York, N.Y.: Vintage Books, →ISBN, page 100:

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of you.


hem

From Middle English hem, from Old English heom (“them”, dative), originally a dative plural form but in Middle English coming to serve as an accusative plural as well. More at 'em.

And wente to the kinge and to the queene, and said to hem with a glad cheer.

1481, William Caxton, The Historie of Reynart the Foxe:

For eyther of hem mayntened.

‘What thinke you of this English, tel me I pray you.’ ‘It is a language that wyl do you good in England but passe Dover, it is woorth nothing.’ ‘Is it not used then in other countreyes?’ ‘No sir, with whom wyl you that they speake?’ ‘With English marchants.’ ‘English marchantes, when they are out of England, it liketh hem not, and they doo not speake it.

1591, John Florio, Second Frutes to be gathered of twelve trees, of diverse but delightful tastes to the tongues of Italian and English:

Tho to the greene wood they speeden hem all.

1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “May. Ægloga Quinta.”, in The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Iohn Wolfe for Iohn Harrison the yonger, […], →OCLC:

Except we make hem such.

1598, Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Euery Man in His Humour. A Comœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

They go forth on Holydays and gather hem by the seashore.

1605 August (first performance), Geo[rge] Chapman, Ben Ionson, Ioh[n] Marston, Eastward Hoe. […], London: […] [George Eld] for William Aspley, published September 1605, →OCLC, (please specify the page):


e

head

e (third-person singular, nominative case, accusative em, possessive adjective eir, possessive noun eirs, reflexive emself)

em (accusative)
eir (adjective possessive)
eirs (noun possessive)
emself (reflexive)

From a deliberate apheresis of both he and she.

E invites em to consider how ey represent emselves^([sic]), and in so doing, e focuses eir attention on the ethics that make human relations possible.

2000, Jane Love, “Ethics, Plugged and Unplugged: The Pegagogy of Disorderly Conduct”, in James A. Inman, Donna N. Sewell, editors, Taking flight with OWLs: Examining Electronic Writing Center Work, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, →OL, LCC PE1414.T24 1999, page 193:

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, epicene, nonstandard) A gender-neutral third-person singular subject pronoun, equivalent to the singular they and coordinate with gendered pronouns he and she.


ich

From Middle English ich, from Old English iċ, iċċ (“I”, pronoun), from Proto-West Germanic *ik, from Proto-Germanic *ik, *ek (“I”, pronoun), from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂ (“I”). See also ch-, I.

"Behold," she sayd, "and se How bright I am of ble! Ich am not cast away, That can my husband say, [...]"

My maysters, ich am an old man, and halfe blinde, […]

1561, John Awdelay, The fraternitye of vacabondes:

With cap and knee, ich will serve thee, what should ich more declare.

Kissyng and lying ich see is all one:
And chave no mony, chul tell true therfore.

1578, George Whetstone, The right, excellent and famous Historye of Promos and Cassandra:

Dost thinke 'chill labor to be poore, No no, ich haue a-doe..Ich will a plundering too.

1645, Thomas Davies, The Somersetshire Man's Complaint:

Ich, a Word us'd for I in the Weſtern Parts of England.

[1706, Edward Phillips, compiler, J[ohn] K[ersey the younger], “Ich”, in The New World of Words: Or, Universal English Dictionary. […], 6th edition, London: […] J. Phillips, […]; N. Rhodes, […]; and J. Taylor, […], →OCLC, column 2:


wee

Yet lest wee should be Capernaitans, as wee are told there that the flesh profiteth nothing, so wee are told heer, if we be not as deaf as adders, that this union of the flesh proceeds from the union of a fit help and solace.


ah

ah (personal pronoun, plural we, possessive adjective mah)

From Middle English ah, aa, a (“ah”), of imitative origin, or from Old English ēa, *eah (“oh, alas”), from Proto-West Germanic *a, *ah (“ah”). Earliest recorded use is circa 1175 in the Ormulum: A, Maȝȝstre! icc wat tatt tu full wiss Arrt Godess Sune ("Ah, Master! I know for sure that thou art God's Son"). Some propose that the Middle English is borrowed from Old French a (“ah!, oh!, hey!”) (represented by modern French ah).
Compare also West Frisian a, ah (“ah”), Dutch a, ah (“ah”), Middle Low German a (“ah”), Old High German a, aa, ah (“ah, oh”) (whence modern German ah), Faroese áh (“oh, ah, alas”), Icelandic æ, ai (“ah, oh”), Latin ah (“ah”).

onomatopoeic

imitative origin

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling#English

Pronunciation spelling of I, most often indicating that the speaker is using a Scottish or American (particularly Southern) accent.


em

head

em (third-person singular, gender-neutral, objective case, reflexive emself, possessive adjective eir, possessive pronoun eirs)

en-pron

emself (reflexive)
eir (adjective possessive)
eirs (possessive pronoun without-noun)

Coined by Christine M. Elverson by removing the "th" from them, perhaps influenced by the pre-existing em/'em, now often perceived as apheretic forms of them (though originally unrelated).

If the author uses such notation, it should be up to Em to indicate Eir intentions clearly, but there’s no harm checking first.

1986 April 1, Michael Spivak, The Joy of TeX: A Gourmet Guide to Typesetting with the AMS-TeX macro package, Providence: American Mathematical Society, →ISBN, →LCCN, LCC Z253.4.T47 S673 1986, page 68:

I may become quite intimate with someone, spend hours with em every night, and yet not have the slightest idea what eir voice sounds like, or what eir RL body looks, feels, and smells like.

1997, Steven Shaviro, Doom Patrols : A Theoretical Fiction About Postmodernism, London: Serpent's Tail, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 138:

2000, Jane Love, “Ethics, Plugged and Unplugged: The Pegagogy of Disorderly Conduct”, in James A. Inman, Donna N. Sewell, editors, Taking flight with OWLs: Examining Electronic Writing Center Work, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, LCC PE1414.T24 1999, page 193:

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!”

(rare, nonstandard) A gender-neutral third-person singular object pronoun, the objective case of ey or e, equivalent to the singular them and coordinate with him and her.


pers

(rare, nonstandard) That which belongs to per, theirs (singular): possessive case of per, used in place of a noun.


co

head

co (third-person singular, gender-neutral, reflexive coself)

Federation of Egalitarian Communities
co

Coined by feminist writer Mary Orovan in 1970; in common usage in intentional communities of the Federation of Egalitarian Communities.

coinage

Co consistently does less than cos share of the Community work. 4. Co absents coself from the Community for more than three weeks [...]

1983, Ingrid Komar, Living the Dream: A Documentary Study of Twin Oaks Community:

At the very least, an individual might have to use different terms to describe coself in a heterosexual context than co uses in a sexual minority context [...]

1996, Brett Beemyn, Mickey Elianon, Queer studies: a lesbian, gay, bisexual, & transgender anthology, page 74:

A youngster of my own introduction had been rejected by an object of preadolescent craving and had killed coself by leaping at the ceiling of co's quarters. Co was a rising Large Game star, her spring was powerful, our gravity flux was low - co's head struck the surface with enough force to kill on impact.

2004 April 1, Pieira dos Lobos, “Fern's Story two”, in alt.magick.serious (Usenet):

(nonstandard) Gender-neutral subject pronoun, coordinate with gendered pronouns he and she.

(nonstandard) Gender-neutral object pronoun, coordinate with gendered pronouns him and her.


der

Nonstandard spelling of there, reflecting any of a variety of accents with th-stopping.


wat

Variation of what, used for humorous effect.

(informal, Internet, text messaging) Alternative spelling of what


dis

Representing a colloquial or dialectal pronunciation with th-stopping of this.


cos

Psychiatrists are trained to try to impose the responsibility for a patient’s problem on the patient coself, rather than on cos environment.

1973, Michael Glenn, Richard Kunnes, Repression or Revolution?: Therapy in the United States Today, Harper Colophon Books, →ISBN, page 53:

WHEREAS a child’s sexuality is just as much a part of cos whole person from birth as the blood that flows in cos veins, making cos sexual rights inherent and inalienable […]

1975, Valida Davila, “A Child’s Sexual Bill of Rights”, in Bernhardt J. Hurwood, editor, The Whole Sex Catalogue, New York, N.Y.: Pinnacle Books, published 1976, →ISBN, page 287:

Co absents coself from the Community for more than three weeks beyond the point of having made satisfactory arrangements with the Community with regard to cos absence.

1986, Ingrid Komar, Living the Dream: Twin Oaks Community 1979-1982, Louisa, Va.: Twin Oaks Community, →OCLC, page 355:

(nonstandard) Belonging to co. Gender-neutral possessive adjective, grammatically equivalent to the gendered his and her and the singular their.


sie

head

sie (third person singular, gender-neutral, nominative case, accusative sir, possessive adjective hir, possessive noun hirs, reflexive hirself)

en-pron

sir (accusative)
hir (adjective possessive)
hirs (noun possessive)
hirself (reflexive)

If the child is about the intellectual equal of the parent, sie will eventually start holding hir own in discussions, […]

1993 September 24, Alex Martelli, “punishment vs ethics (was Re: Discipline my daughters)”, in alt.sex.bondage (Usenet):

"You must be Ash," sie said, hir voice a shade deeper than Amaranth's.

2010 September 16, Jessica Freely, Amaranth and Ash, La Vergne: Lightning Source, →ISBN, page 101:

Sie may feel that hir actual identity of hir gender is supposed to be both/neither male or female, outside of gender, third gender, beyond gender, absence of gender, mixing gender, changing gender, or all genders.

2011 May 19, Ken Wickham, The Other Genders: Androgyne, Genderqueer, Non-Binary Gender Variant, CreateSpace, →ISBN, page 7:

When I asked hir about hir preferred self-identification in this scene, sie offered me this language, 'sie sharply performs the hotness of teasing all the audience from the edge-space of androgyny.'

2011 August 16, Petra Kuppers, Disability Culture and Community Performance: Find a Strange and Twisted Shape, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, →ISBN, →LCCN, LCC PN1590.H36 K87 2011, page 18:

(rare, nonstandard) Gender-neutral subject pronoun, grammatically equivalent to the gendered pronouns he and she


nothing

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

the players see little or nothing of their cards at first starting

1839, Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby:

Nothing was too small to receive attention, if a supervising eye could suggest improvements likely to conduce to the common welfare. Mr. Gordon Burnage, for instance, personally visited dust-bins and back premises, accompanied by a sort of village bailiff, going his round like a commanding officer doing billets.

1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XIX, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16. Charging school fees is illegal, and so is sorting pupils into ability groups by streaming or setting.

2013 July 19, Peter Wilby, “Finland spreads word on schools”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 30:

non + verb + niente (literally “not + verb + nothing”)

An absence of anything, including empty space, brightness, darkness, matter, or a vacuum.


wen

(eye dialect) Alternative spelling of when


dem

Go tell dem natty dreadlocks no wear handcuff,” advises Damian Marley, his guest star and younger brother, who accuses the officers of jealousy.

2007 February 25, Sia Michel, “Stephen Marley in Tallahassee, M.I.A. in India and Klaxons on Fire”, in New York Times:


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”).

cog

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

I must have forgotten to pack something, but I can't think what.

I have something for you in my bag.

I have a feeling something good is going to happen today.

The answer to four down is P something T something Y.

She looked thirty-something. (anything from thirty-one to thirty-nine years old)

Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic who still resists the idea that something drastic needs to happen for him to turn his life around.

2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21:

An uncertain or unspecified thing; one thing.

The performance was something of a disappointment.

That child is something of a genius.

Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady. She stood for a moment holding her skirt above the grimy steps, with something of the stately pose which Richter has given his Queen Louise on the stairway, and the light of the reflector fell full upon her.

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

Christensen, who also edited and co-wrote the film, is becoming something of a specialist in child horror, having launched his feature directorial career with the infant-themed Still/Born in 2017.

2020 May 7, Katie Rife, “If you’re looking to jump in your seat, make a playdate with Z”, in The Onion AV Club, archived from the original on 2020-05-16:

(colloquial, of someone or something) A quality to a moderate degree.

She has a certain something.

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

He's really something! I've never heard such a great voice.

She's quite something. I can't believe she would do such a mean thing.

Some marmosets are less than six inches tall. —Well, isn't that something?

Kanye [West]'s speech was...something, that's for sure. As for a best or worst moment? Apparently, it depends on what you think of Yeezy because Twitter was a house divided.

2016 August 29, Anna Moeslein, “The Best and Worst Moments of the MTV VMAs 2016”, in Glamour:

(colloquial, often with really or quite) Somebody who or something that is superlative or notable in some way.


more

non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger

non-rhotic, dough-door merger, African-American Vernacular

From Middle English more, from Old English māra (“more”), from Proto-West Germanic *maiʀō, from Proto-Germanic *maizô (“more”), from Proto-Indo-European *mē- (“many”).
Cognate with Scots mair (“more”), Saterland Frisian moor (“more”), West Frisian mear (“more”), Dutch meer (“more”), Low German mehr (“more”), German mehr (“more”), Danish mere (“more”), Swedish mera (“more”), Norwegian Bokmål mer (“more”), Norwegian Nynorsk meir (“more”), Icelandic meiri, meira (“more”).

We’re running out of napkins. I should have bought more.

There isn’t enough salt in this. You need to add more.

A greater number or quantity (of something).

There aren’t many people here yet, but more should be arriving soon.

Speaking about Canada, where I teach, while the canon remains the raison d’etre of the discipline, some changes have come about and more are in the offing.

2016, Arun P. Mukherjee, “English Studies in Contemporary India”, in M. Sridhar, Sunita Mishra, editors, Language Policy and Education in India: Documents, Contexts and Debates, page 254:

An extra or additional quantity (of something).


per

head

per (third-person singular, gender-neutral, nominative case, accusative per, possessive adjective pers, possessive noun pers, reflexive perself)

en-pron

per (accusative)
pers (adjective possessive)
pers (noun possessive)
perself (reflexive)

shortening of person, coined by Marge Piercy in Woman on the Edge of Time (1979)

This is the same place the Houghtons came from? The place where someone we interacted with thought of going into law as a profession, decided per couldn't because per was a bdsmer, and most of the USAmerican bdsmers per was discussing it with agreed with per?

1997 April 22, Anthony and Joy Hilbert, “ASB: Info PDQ please re local group rules”, in alt.sex.bondage (Usenet):

(rare, nonstandard) They (singular). Gender-neutral neologistic third-person singular subject pronoun, coordinate with gendered pronouns he and she.

"Kalypso!" I call out as phe disappears on the horizon. I did not know it, but I loved per.

1998, Katherine Phelps, “Odysseus, She”, in Storytronics:

Whereas Christie had flirted with a lesbian identity prior to surgery, following surgery Christie found perself able to pursue per attraction to men, provided they related to per as a non-gendered person.

2006 November 15, Richard Ekins, Dave King, The transgender phenomenon, Sage Publications, →ISBN, →LCCN, LCC HQ77.9.E55 2006, page 160:

(rare, nonstandard) Them (singular) Neologistic gender-neutral third-person singular object pronoun, suggested for use in place of him and her.


same

From Middle English same, from Old Norse samr (“same”) and/or Old English same, sama (“same”) in the phrase swā same (swā) (“in like manner, in the same way (as)”), both from Proto-Germanic *samaz (“same”), from Proto-Indo-European *somHós (“same”). Doublet of -some.
Cognate with Scots samin (“same, like, together”), Dutch samen (“together”), Danish samme (“same”), Swedish samma (“same”), Norwegian Bokmål samme (“same”), Norwegian Nynorsk same (“same”), Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌼𐌰 (sama), a weak adjectival form, Ancient Greek ὁμός (homós, “same”), Old Irish som, Russian са́мый (sámyj), Sanskrit सम (samá), Persian هم (ham, “also, same”), Finnish sama (“same”), Estonian sama (“same”).

The same can be said of him.

It's the same everywhere.

She's having apple pie? I'll have the same. You two are just the same.

When you're well enough off so's you don't have to fret about anything but your heft or your diseases you begin to get queer, I suppose. And the queerer the cure for those ailings the bigger the attraction. A place like the Right Livers' Rest was bound to draw freaks, same as molasses draws flies.

1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter V, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

Something similar, something of the identical type.

նույնը

something similar, something of the identical type

The question is his credibility or lack of same.

Light valve suspensions and films containing UV absorbers and light valves containing the same (title of US Patent 5,467,217)

Methods of selectively distributing data in a computer network and systems using the same (title of US Patent 7,191,208)

(formal, often law) It or them, without a connotation of similarity.

My picture/photography blog...kindly give me your reviews on the same.

(India, common) It or them, as above, meaning the last object mentioned, mainly as complement: on the same, for the same.


som

Kyrgyzstani som
Som (currency)
Uzbekistani sum

U cared to try som of my snax

(Can we date this quote?), Kimberly Kubus (K.Okkerstrøm), Airport Manager:


yeh

‘Budge up, yeh great lump,’ said the stranger.

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:

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

(dialectal) Pronunciation spelling of you.


anybody

Anybody will do.

Is there anybody inside?

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

Everybody who wants to be anybody will come to Jake's party.

Here one isn't anybody, if one doesn't dance like Travolta.

(informal) A person of some consideration or standing.

важна клечка

(colloquial) a person of consideration or standing


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:


another

From Middle English another. By surface analysis, an + other.

This napkin fell to the floor, could you please bring me another?

There is one sterling and here is another

I saw one movie, but I think I will see another.

One that is different from the current one.

His interests keep shifting from one thing to another.

One of a group of things of the same kind.


anything

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

not that there's anything wrong with that

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.'

Perhaps it was this atmosphere of misplacedness and loneliness as much as anything which led her to speak to him one evening in early summer when the office had closed.

1916, Edward S. Moffat, Go Forth and Find, pages 81–82:

(with “as” or “like”) Expressing an indefinite comparison.


anywhere

Anywhere is better than here!


tone

From Middle English tone, ton, toon, from the incorrect division of thet one (“the/that one”). Compare Scots tane in the tane; see also tother.


you-know-who

And 'St—'st—'st and What's-his-name, and also You-know-who / The task of filling up the blanks I'd rather leave to you.

1885, “The Mikado”, W. S. Gilbert (lyrics), Arthur Sullivan (music):

Person or entity whose name one does not want to mention but which is known to the person to whom one is speaking.

tiedätte-kyllä-ketkä

formal to sg or said to pl, of several persons

qui vous savez (formal to c sg or said to c pl)

du-vet-vem (said to c sg, about one person)

ni-vet-vem (said to c pl, about one person)

du-vet-vilka (said to c sg, about multiple persons)

ni-vet-vilka (said to c pl, about multiple persons)


plenty

From Middle English plentie, plentee, plente, from Anglo-Norman plenté, from Old French plenté, from Latin plenitatem, accusative of plenitas (“fullness”), from plenus (“complete, full”), from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós (“full”), from which English full also comes, via Proto-Germanic. Related to the Latin derivatives complete, deplete, replete.

I think six eggs should be plenty for this recipe.


little

From Middle English litel, from Old English lyttel, lȳtel, from Proto-West Germanic *lūtil, from Proto-Germanic *lūtilaz (“tending to stoop, crouched, little”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewd- (“to bend, bent, small”), equivalent to lout + -le. Cognate with Dutch luttel, regional German lütt and lützel, Saterland Frisian litje, West Frisian lyts, Low German lütt, lüttje. Related also to Old English lūtan (“to bow, bend low”); and perhaps to Old English lytiġ (“deceitful”), Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐍄𐍃 (liuts, “deceitful”), 𐌻𐌿𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (lutjan, “to deceive”); compare also Icelandic lítill (“little”), Faroese lítil, Swedish liten, Danish liden, lille, Gothic 𐌻𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌹𐌻𐍃 (leitils), which appear to have a different root vowel. More at lout.

der

Little is known about his early life.


Your Highness

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

Does your Highness know what became of the other ?

1818, “The Congo Expedition—African Discoveries”, in The Quarterly Review, J. Murray, page 372:

“Yes, madame, since your Highness has deigned to begin, will you deign to finish—”

1998, Alexandre Dumas, The Man in the Iron Mask, →ISBN, page 83:

When I'm up in London, everybody say Your Highness / Not because I'm royal, but because I be the highest

2021, Aminé (lyrics and music), “Charmander”, in TWOPOINTFIVE:

(formal) A title of respect used to address a prince or princess.

سُمُوُّكَ

a title of respect used to address a prince or princess

(informal, sarcastic) A sarcastic term of address to anyone who is (or is acting) pompous or bossy.


His Majesty

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

(formal) A title of respect used when referring to a king.

Əlahəzrət

(informal, sarcastic) A sarcastic way of referring to any male who is (or is acting) pompous or bossy.


Her Majesty

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

(formal) A title of respect used when referring to a queen.

Əlahəzrət

title of respect when referring to a queen

(informal, sarcastic) A sarcastic way of referring to any female who is (or appears) pompous or bossy.


Your Majesty

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

All our service,
 In every point twice done and then double done,
 Were poor and single business to contend
 Against whose honors deep and broad wherewith
 Your Majesty loads our house.

c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene vi]:

“Sire,” said Villefort, “the rapidity of the event must prove to your majesty that God alone can prevent it, by raising a tempest; what your majesty is pleased to attribute to me as profound perspicacity is simply owing to chance; and I have profited by that chance, like a good and devoted servant—that's all. Do not attribute to me more than I deserve, sire, that your majesty may never have occasion to recall the first opinion you have been pleased to form of me.”

c. 1845, Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte-Cristo, page 59:

(formal) you (in direct address to such a monarch)


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

I checked the list again and everything is done.

Thank you for everything you've done for us.

I told him about everything I could think of; and what I couldn't think of he did. He asked about six questions during my yarn, but every question had a point to it. At the end he bowed and thanked me once more. As a thanker he was main-truck high; I never see anybody so polite.

1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter IV, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

(literally) All the things under discussion.

mind

when it is about a previously mentioned group

A:What do you want to do at the amusement park?
B:Everything!

I did everything today - washed the dishes, cut the lawn, did the laundry.

Then, I was sent to a great, cold, bare, school of big boys; where everything to eat and wear was thick and clumpy, without being enough […]

1859, Charles Dickens, The Haunted House:

(colloquial, hyperbolic) Many or most things.

She wasn't feeling well this morning but now everything is fine.

Since the company lost its best customer everything has gotten worse.

(colloquial) A state of well-being (from all parts of the whole).

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

I can't believe I made it in time - timing is everything!


che

A modification of ich, iche from Middle English ich (“I”, pronoun). Doublet of utchy.

Nay, come not near th' old man; keep out, che vor / ye, or ise try whether your costard or my ballow be / the harder: ch'ill be plain with you.

c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, King Lear, act 4, scene 6:


each other

/iːˈt͡ʃʌð.ə/

/iːˈt͡ʃað.ə/

From Middle English ech other, yche othere, ich othir, eche other, ilk oþer, from Old English ǣlċ ōþer (“each other”), equivalent to each + other. Cognate with Scots ilk other (“each other”),
West Frisian elkoar (“each other”), Dutch elkander, elkaar (“each other”).

Jack and Robert loved each other.

Now we plunged into a deep shade with the boughs lacing each other overhead, and crossed dainty, rustic bridges over the cold trout-streams, the boards giving back the clatter of our horses' feet: or anon we shot into a clearing, with a colored glimpse of the lake and its curving shore far below us.

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

There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy.[…]Passengers wander restlessly about or hurry, with futile energy, from place to place. Pushing men hustle each other at the windows of the purser's office, under pretence of expecting letters or despatching telegrams.

1915, G[eorge] A. Birmingham [pseudonym; James Owen Hannay], chapter I, in Gossamer, New York, N.Y.: George H. Doran Company, →OCLC:

We've known each other many years, but this is the first time you ever came to me for counsel or for help.

1972 March 14, Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather, spoken by Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), Paramount Pictures:

It was the first time United had conceded six goals at Old Trafford since 1930, when Huddersfield won 6-0 and Newcastle 7-4 within four days of each other.

2011 October 23, Phil McNulty, “Man Utd 1-6 Man City”, in BBC Sport:

(reciprocal pronoun) To one another; one to the other; signifies that a verb applies to two or more entities both as subjects and as direct objects:

ܚܕܕܐ

Eastern vocalization: ܚܕܵܕܹܐ ħəðāðε̄, Western vocalization: ܚܕܳܕܶܐ ħəðoðe


tout le monde

And when the aura of sports reaches the stratospheric level of a Michael Jordan, tout le monde takes notice.

What's the sample here - a dozen people, a thousand, a million, tout le monde?

Tout le monde is now saying these particular trans fats are so completely and utterly heinous for our tickers and arteries that lard is starting to look good again.


much

From Middle English muche (“much, great”), apocopated variant of muchel (“much, great”), from Old English myċel, miċel (“big, much”), from Proto-West Germanic *mikil, from Proto-Germanic *mikilaz (“great, many, much”), from Proto-Indo-European *meǵh₂- (“big, stour, great”). See also mickle, muckle.
cognates
Cognate with Scots mickle, mukill, mekil, mikil (“big, large, great, much”), Middle Dutch mēkel (“great, many, much”), Middle High German michel ("great, many, much"; > German michel (“great, big, large”)), Norwegian Bokmål mye (“much”), Norwegian Nynorsk mykje (“much”), Swedish mycket (“much”), Danish meget (“much”), Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌺𐌹𐌻𐍃 (mikils, “great, many”), Ancient Greek μέγας (mégas, “large, great”), Modern Greek μεγάλος (megálos, “large, great”).
Note that English much is not related to Spanish mucho, and their resemblance in both form and meaning is purely coincidental, as mucho derives from Latin multus and is not related to the Germanic forms. Instead, related to Spanish maño.

gloss

"great, many, much"; > German <i class="Latn mention" lang="de">michel</i> (“great, big, large”)

cog

From those to whom much has been given much is expected.

We lay awake for much of the night.


each

From Middle English eche, from Old English ǣlċ, contraction of ǣġhwelċ, from Proto-West Germanic *aiwgahwalīk (“each, every”). Compare Scots ilk, elk (“each, every”), Saterland Frisian älk (“each”), West Frisian elk, elts (“each”), Dutch elk (“each”), Low German elk, ellik (“each”), German Low German elk, elke (“each, every”), German jeglicher (“any”).

inh

I'm going to give each of you a chance to win.

From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Every one/thing individually or one by one.


either

From Middle English either, from Old English ǣġhwæþer, from *aiwon + *gahwaþera. Akin to Old Saxon eogihwethar, iahwethar (Low German jeed); Old Dutch *iogewether, *iowether, *iother (Dutch ieder); Old High German eogihwedar, iegihweder, ieweder (German jeder).

He made me two offers, but I did not accept either.

Hodgson may now have to bring in James Milner on the left and, on that basis, a certain amount of gloss was taken off a night on which Welbeck scored twice but barely celebrated either before leaving the pitch angrily complaining to the Slovakian referee.

2013 September 7, Daniel Taylor, “Danny Welbeck leads England's rout of Moldova but hit by Ukraine ban”, in The Guardian:

One or the other of two people or things.

Scarce a palm of ground could be gotten by either of the three.

a. 1627 (date written), Francis [Bacon], “Considerations Touching a VVarre vvith Spaine. […]”, in William Rawley, editor, Certaine Miscellany VVorks of the Right Honourable Francis Lo. Verulam, Viscount S. Alban. […], London: […] I. Hauiland for Humphrey Robinson, […], published 1629, →OCLC:

And either vowd with all their power and wit, / To let not others honour be defaste […]

1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

There have been three famous talkers in Great British, either of whom would illustrate what I say about dogmatists.

1872, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., The Poet at the Breakfast-Table:


homeboy

head

homeboy (third-person singular, masculine, nominative or objective case)

en-pron

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

20th century United States African-American urban slang. Originated from travelers to metropolitan areas derived from American English as a blend of hometown + boy. However, modern use is mostly by African-Americans and Latinos in the United States.

(1:38) If homeboy’s coming through with these, it’s quiet. Yeah no, it’s quiet for him. But, like, if he comes through with, y’know, these; you got some air maxes out here, you got some Jordans. Homeboy’s gonna, like, get it.

2017 October 2, Complex (@Complex), YouTube:

Homeboy rafikied a peacock with a squeegee.

2023 February 1, Fiona’s Videos 🎬 (@fiona_videos), Twitter:

He's talking about the jumpscare warnings in Dead Space. The ones you can turn off. Homeboy takes gaming way too fucking seriously.

2023 January 31, IStandWithVic Posting Their L's Online (@ISWV_Losers), Twitter:

He hit homeboy in his junk

2023 January 28, Jovani Vasquez (@JovaniVasquez25), Twitter:

Should’ve listen to homeboy

2023 January 28, LaughTalkTV (@LaughTalkTV), Twitter:

(African-American Vernacular, slang) he or him


nowt

Dialectal pronunciation of naught. Akin to West Frisian neat (“nothing”), German nichts (“nothing”).

Today I have achieved absolutely nowt / In just being out of the house, I've lost out

2004, “It Was Supposed to Be So Easy”, in Mike Skinner (lyrics), A Grand Don’t Come For Free, performed by The Streets:


yew

A spinoff, “Major Crimes,” starring “Battlestar Galactica” veteran Mary McDonnell and a number of “Closer” cast members, premieres in August. Sedgwick won’t be among them, swapping Brenda’s syrupy “thank yew” for an upbeat “buh-bye now” to her co-workers.

2012 July 1, T.L. Stanley, “No more crimes for her to solve”, in Los Angeles Times:


noman

From Middle English noman, interpreted as no + man.

Let noman deceaue you by ony meanes.

1548, The Beginning and Endynge of All Popery, or Popishe Kyngedome:

Which ſeing it is ſo, let noman wonder, that I, not miſtruſting anie whit the vniuerſal cauſe of the Catholiks, but miſdoubting mine own wit, and the ſhameleſſe ſhifts of our aduerſaries, haue chosen to dedicate this work to yͤ myſteri of thy glorious body and blood (Lord Ieſu Chriſt,)[…]

1566, Nicolas Saunder, The Supper of Our Lord Set Foorth According to the Truth of the Gospell and Catholike Faith:

[…]that noman nowe, be he neuer ſo ignorante, can thinke, he maie iuſtely be excuſed.

1567, Iohn Iewel, A Defence of the Apologie of the Churche of Englande, Conteininge an Answeare to a Certaine Booke Lately Set Foorthe by M. Hardinge, and Entituled, A Confutation of &c., London: Henry VVykes:


bro

head

bro (third-person singular, masculine, nominative or objective case)

desc

→ Arabic: بْرُو (brō), بْرُوه (brō, brōh) (slang)

→ Italian: bro (slang)

→ Russian: бро (bro) (slang)

→ Spanish: bro (slang)

→ Ukrainian: бро (bro) (slang)

→ Vietnamese: bro (slang)

PIE word
 *bʰréh₂tēr
Clipping of brother, Cf. scro.

Bro said he finna go off today

You gotta go up to bro and say, "I know what you mean"

(African-American Vernacular) A person previously mentioned, usually male. Chiefly equivalent to he and him.

samideano

male comrade or friend; one who shares one’s ideals


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:

How many of you have full-time jobs?

How many have we lost to disease?

The message itself is neither difficult nor simple, but how many will realize this?

2000, Glen C. Cutlip, How to Overcome Death: The Final Victory, →ISBN, page 61:

You know how many are in one group and how many are in another group.

2005, David B. Spangler, Math for Real Kids, →ISBN:

How many will say I want to be a good example for my children?

2010, Michael A. Curtis, Notes from My Journey, →ISBN, page 39:

How many people Earth can support depends in part on how many will wear cotton and how many polyester; on how many will eat meat and how many bean sprouts; on how many will want parks and how many will want parking lots.

2011, Ian Angus, Simon Butler, Too Many People?, →ISBN:


moi

Don't you be so cheeky. — Cheeky? Moi?

Who'd have thought that such a thing would happen to little old moi!

Kid Rock: Yo, let's waste that biotch. / Homer: Biotch? Moi?

2000 April 30, John Swartzwelder, “Kill the Alligator and Run”, in The Simpsons, season 11, episode 19:

There's only one Miss Piggy, and she is moi.

2011, Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller, The Muppets, spoken by Miss Piggy:

(humorous or sarcastic, often used questioningly to express mock surprise) Me.


yo

Yo was tuckin' in his shirt! (Stotko and Troyer 2007)

(Baltimore) third-person singular, familiar


themself

head

themself (third person, singular reflexive of they)

From Middle English theimself. Equivalent to them + -self. Reinforced by analogy with the singular-plural distinction between yourself and yourselves.

Someone could hurt themself.

Anyone who wants a car like mine can buy one themself.

[…] they woulden't ^([sic]) always be trying to make Themself Look Diffarunt ^([sic]) from what nature made Them.

1899 December 6, “Paw Baldness”, in Shiner Gazette:

THE author who masqueraded as Helen Demidenko yesterday urged the hoaxer who deceived the respected right-wing journal Quadrant to unmask themself.

2009 January 8, Samantha Maiden, “Hoaxer, out yourself: 'Demidenko'”, in The Australian:

... somedays there will be an odd number of quadders and so somebody might have to sit by themself in the back.

2013 January 8, John Stoltenberg, Gonerz:

Sometimes in modern usage They_(sg) has the reflexive form themself, as in Sometimes a person can surprise themself. (Microsoft Word’s grammar-checking tool doesn’t like this, and peremptorily changes it to themselves – what a nerve!)

2024, Geoffrey K. Pullum, The Truth About English Grammar, Polity Press, →ISBN, page 38:

(reflexive pronoun, sometimes proscribed) The reflexive form of they, the third-person singular personal pronoun. The single person previously mentioned, as the object of a verb or following a preposition (also used for emphasis).

[…] and the same is here thought of al men to be so vailable and sufficient, as can be required, accept and take the said commission and dispensation so thankfully, and themself so satisfied with the same, that they repute and think themself not only singularly obstringed and bound to the Popes […]

1822, John Strype, Ecclesiastical Memorials, Relating Chiefly to Religion, page 119:

(nonstandard, sometimes proscribed) Synonym of themselves (the third-person plural).


those

From Middle English thos (“those”), alteration of tho pl (“the; those”), equivalent to tho (“the; those”) + -s (plural ending), partly by analogy with thes (“these”), whose final -s is original and not a plural ending. More at tho.

those who serve [those persons who serve]

don't touch those [those objects over there]

the Lord helps those that help themselves

the Lord helps those who help themselves

there are none so blind as those who will not see

there's none so blind as those who will not see

those who live in glass houses should not throw stones

those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones

those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those doing it

with friends like those who needs enemies


id

Abbreviation of idem., from Latin idem (“same”)


these

From Middle English þes, from Old English þas, from Proto-West Germanic *þes-, a form of Proto-Germanic *sa (“that”), from Proto-Indo-European *só. Compare with German diese.

with friends like these who needs enemies


such

From Middle English such, swuch, swich, swilch, swulch, from Old English swelċ, from Proto-West Germanic *swalīk, from Proto-Germanic *swalīkaz (“so formed, so like”), equivalent to so + like. Cognate with Scots swilk, sic, sik (“such”), Saterland Frisian suk (“such”), West Frisian suk, sok (“such”), Dutch zulk (“such”), Low German sölk, sulk, sülk, suk (“such”), German solch (“such”), Danish slig (“like that, such”), Swedish slik (“such”), Icelandic slíkur (“such”). More at so, like.

inh

These oraculous proficients are day and night employed in deep searches for the direction of such as run astray after their lost goods : but at present they are more particularly serviceable to their country in foretelling the fate of such as have chances in the public lottery.

1804, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, The Tatler, C. Whittingham, John Sharpe, page 315

'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.

1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

Some are just no-good locals—drunks and such—who’d just as soon beg or steal as work.

2000, Terry Goodkind, Faith of the Fallen, →ISBN, page 238:

A person, a thing, people, or things like the one or ones already mentioned.


's

Contractions of various words ending in s.

What are you guys waiting for? Let’s go!

Wee'le part the time betweene's then: and in that
Ile no gaine-ſaying.

c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 277, column 2:

Contraction of us (found in the formula let’s which is used to form first-person plural imperatives).


'm

1967-1969, Lou Sullivan, personal diary, quoted in 2019, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma (editors), We Both Laughed In Pleasure
I picked up two stones and threw ’m in the air, heard ’m drop


hir

head

hir (third-person singular, gender-neutral, objective case, reflexive hirself)

But once the disorientation had passed, hir forced hirself back to full consciousness--and worked quickly to establish hir position, and Ruskin's.

1988, Jeffrey Carver, From a Changeling Star, New York: Bantam Books, →ISBN, →OL, page 232:

I don't know what Scratch looks like in the real world, I met hir online.

1996 June, Caitlin Sullivan with Bornstein, Kate, Nearly Roadkill: an Infobahn erotic adventure, New York: Serpent's Tail, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, LCC PS3569.U3449 N43 1996, page 10:

Words like "freak" became attached to hir name, and I don't believe "brave" was ever a word the media associated with hir.

1997 December 18, Kate Bornstein, My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely, London, New York: Routledge, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, LCC HQ1075.B69 1998, page 130:

T'Pau leveled a gaze at hir. "You are male and female ... and neither. 'It' is the proper word. We have no use for semantic games on Vulcan."

2000 August 29, Peter David, Renaissance (Star Trek New Frontier: Excalibur #10), Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, page 137:

(nonstandard) Them (singular). Gender-neutral third-person singular object pronoun, coordinate with him and her.


oi

Sometimes oi sits and thinks, and sometimes oi just sits.

Why, where be oi, and what be oi a doin’, / A sleepin’ out, just when the dews du rise?

1877, W. S. Gilbert, The Sorcerer, Act II:

(representing rural dialect pronunciation) I.


dey

Pronunciation spelling of they, representing dialects with th-stopping in English.

“Boy, is horrors over dey, for so,” he said, obviously excited and anxious to be the bearer of extraordinary news. “Wat happen, somebody dead?”

2012, G. Modele Dale Clarke, Up in Mahaica: Stories from the Market People (ebook), Xlibris:

Pronunciation spelling of there, representing African American Vernacular English or Caribbean English.


aught

From Middle English aught, ought, from Old English āht, āwiht, from ā (“always", "ever”) + wiht (“thing", "creature”). More at wight.

[…] wouldst thou aught with me?

c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:

But go, my son, and see if aught be wanting.

1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene v, page 2:

Then Proclamation was made, that they that had ought to ſay for their Lord the King againſt the Priſoner at the Bar, ſhould forthwith appear and give in their evidence.

1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC, page 129:

[…]to other objects, which for aught we know, may be only in appearance similar.

1748, [David Hume], “chapter 29”, in Philosophical Essays Concerning Human Understanding, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:

But as soon as her son espied her, bowl in hand, he thought that haply something untoward had befallen her, but he would not ask of aught until such time as she had set down the bowl, when she acquainted him with that which had occurred[…]

1885–1888, Richard F[rancis] Burton, transl. and editor, Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night […], Shammar edition, volume (please specify the volume), [London]: […] Burton Club […], →OCLC:

His life among these fierce apes had been happy; for his recollection held no other life, nor did he know that there existed within the universe aught else than his little forest and the wild jungle animals with which he was familiar.

1912 October, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Tarzan of the Apes”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as chapter 5, in Tarzan of the Apes, New York, N.Y.: A. L. Burt Company, 1914 June, →OCLC:

There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made.

1977, J. R. R. Tolkien, Silmarillion, Ainulindalë, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

(archaic or dialectal) Anything whatsoever, any part.


that's

He had in his pocket an old flick-knife that's spring was slow and temperamental.

"[…] we want them to bring a product to market that's time had not yet come," said Ray Farhung, a Southern California Edison official.

1993 January 10, Bill Vlasic, “Cool Contest”, in The Detroit News, page 1D:

1995, Aimo Seppänen & Göran Kjellmer. The dog that's leg was run over: On the genitive of the relative pronoun. English Studies 76, 389–400.

[…] the only one that's title has been released […]

2009, Doug Whitman, quoted in Neal Whitman, "We Don't Speak the Same Language" (blog post, 2011 March 23)

that's is perfectly possible in my Northern Irish English dialect, e.g. "The cow that's calf was lost" is fine; "The cow whose calf was lost" is not so good as my dialect seems to require human reference for who, […]

2014 March 28, Warren Maguire, “['That's'] Comments”, in Mark Liberman, Language Log, archived from the original on 2014-04-08:

It had products like a WiFi light bulb that's brightness and even color can be controlled via Smartphone.

2018, Jimmy Im, "I shopped at Amazon's new 4-star-product store in New York City — here's why I wouldn't do it again", CNBC.com, 2018 September 28

(nonstandard, dialect, e.g. Black Country, Northern Ireland) whose, of which, in dialects that require a human antecedent for 'whose'


w/e

(text messaging, Internet slang) Abbreviation of whatever.


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)


Alteration of you:
* oo phonetic spelling of /uː/; 0 often used in place of o in leet;
* j possibly based on its sound in some European languages.

j00 7h1n|< ur 3l33t?
You think you’re elite? (you think you’re awesome?)


ones

Omnium rerum viciſſitudo eſt, ones falling, is anothers riſing,[…]

1599, [Thomas] Nashe, Nashes Lenten Stuffe, […], London: […] [Thomas Judson and Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and C[uthbert] B[urby] […], →OCLC, page 8:

Not to leane unto ones own underſtanding: but in all ones wayes to acknowledge the Lord, and he will direct ones paths. Not to be wiſe in ones own eyes: but to feare the Lord, and to depart from evill. To bridle ones tongue:[…]

1648, A VVay unto True Christian Unitie: The Worship of God in Spirit and in Truth: […], London: […] John Legatt, […], page 43:

Pride and Roughneſs may turn ones Humour, but Flattery turns ones Stomach.

a. 1700 (date written), William Temple, “Heads, Designed for an Essay on Conversation”, in Miscellanea. The Third Part. […], London: […] Jonathan Swift, […] Benjamin Tooke, […], published 1701, →OCLC, page 327:


y'all's

This drink’s mine; Bill and Joe, those drinks are y’all’s.

(Southern US) Possessive of y’all (standing in for yours).


tho

From Middle English tho, tha, from Old English þā (“the, those”, plural), from Proto-West Germanic *þai, from Proto-Germanic *þai (“those”), from Proto-Indo-European *to-, *só (“that”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian do (“the”, plural). Doublet of they.


you guys

Hey you guys!

the list of other second-person pronouns in you


wi

Are yee commin with wi or not?


thingy

He reminds me of thingy from that film.

(informal) A person whose name one cannot recall.


all and sundry

And decerns and declares all and sundry, who either gainsay the word of the evangel [...] to be no members of the said kirk within this realm, and true religion presently professed, so long as they keep themselves so divided from the society of Christ's body.

1581, Alexander Henderson, Archibald Johnston, National Covenant of the Church of Scotland:

Miss Phyllis Morgan, as the hapless heroine dressed in the shabbiest of clothes, appears in the midst of a gay and giddy throng; she apostrophises all and sundry there, including the villain, and has a magnificent scene which always brings down the house, and nightly adds to her histrionic laurels.

1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Affair at the Novelty Theatre”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:

From morning till night you saw her sitting on a low chair in the kitchen, surrounded by a Chinese cook and two or three native girls, giving her orders, chatting sociably with all and sundry, and tasting the savoury messes she devised.

1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, “chapter 49”, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC:


sundry

The adjective is derived from Middle English sondri, sondry, syndry (“individually; occasionally; separately; variously”) [and other forms], from Old English syndriġ (“alone, distinct, separate, single; sundry, various; concerning a single person, own, particular, peculiar, private; exceptional, remarkable, set apart, special; (distributive) one each”) [and other forms], from sundor (“differently; privately; separate, separately”) (from Proto-Germanic *sundraz (“alone, isolated; separate”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *senH- (“apart; for oneself; without”)) + -iġ (“suffix forming adjectives”). The English word is analysable as sunder + -y.
The noun and pronoun are derived from the adjective.
cognates
* Dutch zonderlijk (“separate”) (rare), Dutch afzonderlijk (“separate”)
* Low German sunderig (“single; special”)
* Middle High German sunderig (“private; separate; special”)
* Swedish söndrig (“broken; tattered”)

nb...

sindre, sindrey, sindri, sindrie, sindry, sondery, sondrẹ̄, sondree, sondrei, sondrey, sondrie, sondry, sondrye, sonndry, soondry, soundri, soundrie, soundry, sum-dri, sunderi, sundery, sundrei, sundrey, sundri, sundrie, sundrii, sundry, syndre, (Early Middle English) sindri, sindriȝ

nb...

sindrig, syndrie, syndryg, (Northumbria) suindrig

cog

The not underſtanding of which has made ſundry in vain attempt to predict events foretold, in the Apocalypſe to the accurateneſs of a Prophetical Day, […]

1680, Henry More, “Notes. Chapter XII. Vers[e] 6.”, in Apocalypsis Apocalypseos; or The Revelation of St John the Divine Unveiled. […], London: […] J. M. for J[ohn] Martyn, and W. Kettilby, […], →OCLC, page 123:

To be the bride of Christ was the thought that filled her heart; and when, at the fencing of the tables Doctor Chrystal preached from Matthew nine and fifteen, "Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?" it was remarked by sundry that Ailie's face was liker the countenance of an angel than of a mortal lass.

1902 January, John Buchan, “The Outgoing of the Tide”, in The Watcher by the Threshold, and Other Tales, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, published 1902, →OCLC, page 234:

(Northern England, Scotland) Various people or things; several.