theとは 意味・読み方・使い方

語源 1

From Middle English þe, from 古期英語 þē m (“the, that”, demonstrative pronoun), a late variant of sē, the s- (which occurred in the masculine かつ feminine nominative 単数形 only) having been replaced by the þ- from the oblique stem.

Originally neutral nominative, in Middle English it superseded all previous 古期英語 nominative forms (sē m, sēo f, þæt n, þā pl); sē is from Proto-West Germanic *siz, from Proto-Germanic *sa, ultimately from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 sá (“the, that”), Ancient Greek ὁ (ho, “the”), Tocharian B se (“this”) among other Indo-European languages^[1].

冠詞

the

1. Definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that an entity it hints at is presupposed; something already mentioned, or completely specified later in that same sentence, or assumed already completely specified. [from 10th c.]

   I’m reading the book. (Compare I’m reading a book.)

   The street in front of your house. (Compare A street in Paris.)

   The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird.

   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     I sleep in the bedroom!

2. Used before a noun modified by a restrictive relative clause, indicating that the noun refers to a single referent defined by the relative clause.

   The street that runs through my hometown.

3. Used before an object considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time. [from 10th c.]

   No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe.

   God save the Queen!

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Revelation 1:8, column 2:

     I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

4. Used before a superlative or an ordinal number modifying a noun, to indicate that the noun refers to a single item.

   That was the best apple pie ever.

5. Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive. [from 9th c.]

   That apple pie was the best.

6. Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a name of something standing for a whole class. [from 9th c.]
   • 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus, published 2010, page 536:

     Stern and God-fearing, the Afrikaner takes his religion seriously.

7. Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective. [from 9th c.]

   Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.

8. Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar. [from 12th c.]

   No one in the whole country had seen it before.

   I don't think I'll get to it until the morning.

9. Used before a body part (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun. [from 12th c.]

   A stone hit him on the head. (= “A stone hit him on his head.”)

10. When stressed, indicates that it describes an object which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention. [from 18th c.]

    That is the hospital to go to for heart surgery.

    • 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:

      "Good Heavens, man! Why, he is the authority. If you want pure laboratory experiments those are the books."

    • 2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club‎^[1]:

      “New Kid On The Block” doubles as a terrific showcase for the Sea Captain who, in the grand tradition of Simpsons supporting characters, quickly goes from being a stereotype to an archetype, from being a crusty sea-captain character to the crusty sea-captain character.

使用する際の注意点

別の表記

• da (d'), teh (くだけた用法 または dialectal)
• de (eye 方言, AAVE)
• t' (Northern England)
• th' (poetic)
• ye (古風な用法), ye (古風な用法, abbreviation), yͤ (古風な用法, abbreviation)
• ẏe (廃れた用法), ẏe (廃れた用法, abbreviation)

同意語

• le

派生語

参照

語源 2

From Middle English the, thy, thi, from 古期英語 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 ("because"), Icelandic því (“the; because”), Faroese tí, Swedish ty.

副詞

the (not comparable)

1. With a comparative or with more and a verb phrase, establishes a correlation with one or more other such comparatives.

   The hotter(,) the better. (comma usually omitted in such very short expressions)

   The more I think about it, the weaker it looks.

   The more money donated, the more books purchased, and the more happy children.

   It looks weaker and weaker, the more I think about it.

2. With a comparative, and often with for it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated with none.

   It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it.

   It was a difficult time, and I’m {none - not any} the wiser for it.

   I'm much the wiser for having had a difficult time like that.

使用する際の注意点

This is called the "comparative correlative", but it is also known as the "correlative construction", the "conditional comparative", or the "the...the construction".

派生語

• nevertheless
• nonetheless

前置詞

the

1. For each; per.

   valued at half a pound the bushel; paying seven dollars the year interest

   • 1837, James Edward Alexander, Narrative of a Voyage of Observation Among the Colonies of Western Africa, in the Flag-ship Thalia; and of a Campaign in Kaffir-land, on the Staff of the Commander-in-Chief, in 1835, volume 1, London: Henry Colburn, pages 251–2:

     Next morning I was up at an early hour, to see the market held near the water gate. The beef was excellent: but at the high prices of ten-pence and one shilling the pound; mutton at the same price; fowls a dollar the couple, and showing “more feathers than flesh.”

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:the.

参考

アナグラム

• -eth, ETH, Eth, Eth., HET, TEH, eth, eth-, het, teh

語源

From Latin theo- (“god”), combining form of theos (“god”); from Ancient Greek θεό- (theó-, “god”), combining form of θεός (theós, “god”).

接頭辞

the- (combining form)

1. (religion) god or deity

派生語

参照

• “theo-, comb. form”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015-03-17.
• “theo-” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.

アナグラム

• -eth, ETH, Eth, Eth., HET, TEH, eth, eth-, het, teh

Latin

別の表記

theo-

語源

From Ancient Greek θεό- (theó-, “god”), combining form of θεός (theós, “god”).

接頭辞

the- (combining form)

1. combining form of theos

派生語

参照

• "Thěos", in Nicholas Salmon, Stemmata latinitatis: or, An etymological Latin dictionary, London, printed for the author by W. and C. Spilsbury, 1796, v. 2, pp. 675–676. OCLC 669364391.
• “theo-, comb. form”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015-03-17.
• “theo-” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.