the
art.art. Used before a noun to point to a specific person or thing that you already know about. It shows you mean one particular item, not just any.
art. An English definite article placed before a noun to indicate that the referent is unique, specific, or already identifiable within the context of the discourse.
Please pass me the salt.
After looking at several different cars, we finally decided to buy the blue one.
The decision to implement the new policy was met with significant resistance from the local community, who felt the changes were too sudden.
From Middle English þe, from Old English þē m (“the, that”, demonstrative pronoun), a late variant of sē, the s- (which occurred in the masculine and feminine nominative singular only) having been replaced by the þ- from the oblique stem. replaced words, cognates Originally neutral nominative, in Middle English it superseded all previous Old English nominative forms (sē m, sēo f, þæt n, þā pl); sē is from Proto-West Germanic siz, from Proto-Germanic sa, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *só. Cognate with Saterland Frisian die (“the”), West Frisian de (“the”), Dutch de (“the”), German Low German de (“the”), German der (“the”), Danish de (“the”), Swedish de (“the”), Icelandic sá (“that”) within Germanic and with Sanskrit स (sá, “the, that”), Ancient Greek ὁ (ho, “the”), Tocharian B se (“this”) among other Indo-European languages.
From Middle English the, thy, thi, from Old English þē̆, probably a neuter instrumental form ("by that, thereby")—alongside the more common þȳ and þon—of the demonstrative pronoun sē ("that"). Compare Dutch des te ("the, the more"), German desto ("the, all the more"), Norwegian fordi and Norwegian av di ("because"), Icelandic því (“the; because”), Faroese tí, Swedish ty.
Placed before a noun or an adjective-noun phrase. It is used with both singular and plural nouns, as well as uncountable nouns when referring to a specific instance.
I am going to the school to study.I am going to school to study.When referring to the primary purpose of an institution like 'school', 'hospital', or 'prison', the definite article is omitted.
- 01
Mozzle and brocha
[Cockney slang]on the knocker
Yiddish words for good luck and good health respectively, referring to the occupation ofdoor-to-door salesman (these are two of his six requirements, the other four being: good looks, temper, voice and manners).
- 02
Short of a sheet
[Cockney slang]in the street
Implying a situation of penury and hence the lack of a bed.