the — used to refer to a specific thing or person that has already been mentioned or is known
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: used to refer to a specific thing or person that has already been mentioned or is known
Pronunciation (IPA): /ðə/, /ðiː/
Example Sentences
- The pizza was so good that I ate the whole thing in 5 minutes
- The teacher said the homework was optional, but we all know what that means
- The cat thinks it owns the house, and honestly, it probably does
the
NOUN[/ðə/, /ðiː/]
used to refer to a specific thing or person that has already been mentioned or is known
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The word derives from Old English 'se', one of the oldest English words tracing back to the common ancestor of the Germanic language family. It has remained the most frequently used word in English for thousands of years, functioning as the definite article.
Breakdown
se (Old English demonstrative pronoun) → þe (Middle English, with thorn letter) → the (Modern English). The evolution reflects phonetic simplification and orthographic changes in English writing conventions.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The pizza was so good that I ate the whole thing in 5 minutes”
“The teacher said the homework was optional, but we all know what that means”
“The cat thinks it owns the house, and honestly, it probably does”
“I need to buy the ingredients for dinner”
📚Related Words
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