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it

See also: Appendix:Variations of "it"

Contents

EnglishEdit

 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Middle English it, hit ( > dialectal 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 West Frisian it (“it”), Saterland Frisian et, 't (“it”), Low German it (“it”), Dutch het (“it”), German es (“it”), Latin cis, hic. More at he.

Alternative formsEdit

PronounEdit

it (subjective and objective it, reflexive and intensive itself, possessive determiner and noun its)

  1. The third-person singular personal pronoun that is normally used to refer to an inanimate object or abstract entity, also often used to refer to animals.
    Put it over there.
    Take each day as it comes.
    I heard the sound of the school bus - it was early today.
    • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
      It is not a pen. It is a book. 
      Audio (US)
      		(file)
    • 1993, Bruce Coville, Aliens Ate My Homework, pages 72–73:
      "Oh, don't be silly. I am neither male nor female. I'm a farfel." […] "It. Refer to me as an it."
      "That seems pretty rude," I said nervously.
      "Not as rude as calling me a he or a she," it said.
  2. A third-person singular personal pronoun used to refer to a child, especially of unknown gender.
    She took the baby and held it in her arms.
    • 1847, Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, Chapter IV:
      A child cannot quarrel with its elders, as I had done; cannot give its furious feelings uncontrolled play, as I had given mine, without experiencing afterwards the pang of remorse and the chill of reaction.
    • 1859, Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White:
      I could only encourage Mrs. Clements to speak next of Anne's early days […] "There was nobody else, sir, to take the little helpless creature in hand," replied Mrs. Clements. "The wicked mother seemed to hate it—as if the poor baby was in fault!—from the day it was born. My heart was heavy for the child, and I made the offer to bring it up as tenderly as if it was my own."
      "Did Anne remain entirely under your care from that time?"
      "Not quite entirely, sir. Mrs. Catherick had her whims and fancies about it at times, and used now and then to lay claim to the child, as if she wanted to spite me for bringing it up.
    • 2005, Marcus Zusak, The Book Thief, part 10:
      The sky was dripping. Like a tap that a child has tried its hardest to turn off but hasn't quite managed.
  3. Used to refer to someone being identified, often on the phone, but not limited to this situation.
    It's me. John.
    Is it her?
  4. The impersonal pronoun, used without referent as the subject of an impersonal verb or statement. (known as the dummy pronoun or weather it)
    It is nearly 10 o’clock.
    It’s 10:45 [read ten-forty-five].
    It’s very cold today.
    It’s lonely without you.
  5. The impersonal pronoun, used without referent in various short idioms.
    stick it out
    live it up
    rough it
  6. The impersonal pronoun, used as a placeholder for a delayed subject, or less commonly, object; known as the dummy pronoun or, more formally in linguistics, a syntactic expletive. The delayed subject is commonly a to-infinitive, a gerund, or a noun clause introduced by a subordinating conjunction.
    It is easy to see how she would think that. (with the infinitive clause headed by to see)
    I find it odd that you would say that. (with the noun clause introduced by that)
    It is hard seeing you so sick. (with the gerund seeing)
    He saw to it that everyone would vote for him. (with the noun clause introduced by that)
    It is not clear if the report was true. (with the noun clause introduced by if)
  7. All or the end; something after which there is no more.
    Are there more students in this class, or is this it?
    That's it—I'm not going to any more candy stores with you.
  8. (chiefly derogatory, offensive) A third-person singular personal pronoun used to refer to an animate referent who is transgender or is neither female nor male.
  9. (obsolete) Followed by an omitted and understood relative pronoun: That which; what.
    • 1643, Thomas Browne, Religio Medici, II.2:
      In briefe, I am content, and what should providence add more? Surely this is it [= it which] wee call Happinesse, and this doe I enjoy [...].
Usage notesEdit
Derived termsEdit
See alsoEdit
English’s other subject and object pronouns
TranslationsEdit
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

DeterminerEdit

it

  1. (obsolete) its
    • 1611, Authorized King James Version of the Bible, first edition, Leviticus 25:5:
      That which groweth of it owne accord of thy haruest, thou ſhalt not reape, neither gather the grapes of thy Uine vndreſſed: for it is a yeere of reſt vnto the land. (replaced by "its" in the 1769 Oxford Standard Text)

NounEdit

it (plural its)

  1. One who is neither a he nor a she; a creature; a dehumanized being.
    • 1920, Herman Cyril McNeile, Bulldog Drummond Chapter 1
      His master glanced up quickly, and removed the letter from his hands. "I'm surprised at you, James," he remarked severely. "A secretary should control itself. Don't forget that the perfect secretary is an it: an automatic machine—a thing incapable of feeling.…"
    • 1995, Neil Weiner, Sharon E. Robinson Kurpius, Shattered innocence (page 8)
      Too often, children become an "it" in their homes and their humanness is devalued.
  2. The person who chases and tries to catch the other players in the playground game of tag.
    In the next game, Adam and Tom will be it…
    • 2000, Katherine T. Thomas, Amelia M. Lee, Jerry R. Thomas, Physical education for children (page 464)
      When there are only two children left who haven't been tagged, I will stop the game, and we will start over with those children starting as the Its.
  3. (Britain, uncountable) The game of tag.
    Let's play it at breaktime.
  4. (uncountable) Sex appeal, especially that which goes beyond beauty.
    • 1904, Rudyard Kipling, "Mrs Bathurst"
      'Tisn't beauty, so to speak, nor good talk necessarily. It's just It. Some women'll stay in a man's memory if they once walked down a street
    • 1927, Dorothy Parker:
      And she had It. It, hell; she had Those.
  5. (euphemistic) Sexual activity.
    • 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, p. 14:
      The great advantage of English public school life lies of course in the quality of tutelage it provides. Adrian had received a decent and broad English education in the area of his loins... He had quickly happened upon the truth which many lonely contemporaries would never discover, the truth that everybody, simply everybody, was panting for it and could, with patience, be shown that they were panting for it. So Adrian grabbed what was to hand and had the time of his life genitally—focusing exclusively on his own gender of course, for this was 1973 and girls had not yet been invented.
    caught them doing it
  6. A biological force that inhabits living beings, according to the vitalist approach of Georg Groddeck.

AdjectiveEdit

it (not comparable)

  1. (colloquial) Most fashionable.
    • 2007 September, Vibe, volume 15, number 9, page 202:
      Going away for the weekend and feel the need to profile en route? This is the "it" bag.
    • David Germain, Hilarious ‘Kick-Ass’ delivers bloody fun, Associated Press, 2010:
      With Hit Girl, Moretz is this year's It Girl, alternately sweet, savage and scary.

Etymology 2Edit

Abbreviation.

Proper nounEdit

it

  1. Abbreviation of Italy.
  2. Abbreviation of Italian. (language)
Derived termsEdit
See alsoEdit

AnagramsEdit

AzerbaijaniEdit

Other scripts
Cyrillic ит
Roman it
Perso-Arabic ایت‎

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Turkic *it, *ït (“canine”).

NounEdit

it (definite accusative iti, plural itlər)

  1. dog

DeclensionEdit

Declension of it
singular plural
nominative it itlər
definite accusative iti itləri
dative itə itlərə
locative itdə itlərdə
ablative itdən itlərdən
definite genitive itin itlərin
Possessive forms of it
nominative
singular plural
mənim (“my”) itim itlərim
sənin (“your”) itin itlərin
onun (“his/her/its”) iti itləri
bizim (“our”) itimiz itlərimiz
sizin (“your”) itiniz itləriniz
onların (“their”) iti or itləri itləri
accusative
singular plural
mənim (“my”) itimi itlərimi
sənin (“your”) itini itlərini
onun (“his/her/its”) itini itlərini
bizim (“our”) itimizi itlərimizi
sizin (“your”) itinizi itlərinizi
onların (“their”) itini or itlərini itlərini
dative
singular plural
mənim (“my”) itimə itlərimə
sənin (“your”) itinə itlərinə
onun (“his/her/its”) itinə itlərinə
bizim (“our”) itimizə itlərimizə
sizin (“your”) itinizə itlərinizə
onların (“their”) itinə or itlərinə itlərinə
locative
singular plural
mənim (“my”) itimdə itlərimdə
sənin (“your”) itində itlərində
onun (“his/her/its”) itində itlərində
bizim (“our”) itimizdə itlərimizdə
sizin (“your”) itinizdə itlərinizdə
onların (“their”) itində or itlərində itlərində
ablative
singular plural
mənim (“my”) itimdən itlərimdən
sənin (“your”) itindən itlərindən
onun (“his/her/its”) itindən itlərindən
bizim (“our”) itimizdən itlərimizdən
sizin (“your”) itinizdən itlərinizdən
onların (“their”) itindən or itlərindən itlərindən
genitive
singular plural
mənim (“my”) itimin itlərimin
sənin (“your”) itinin itlərinin
onun (“his/her/its”) itinin itlərinin
bizim (“our”) itimizin itlərimizin
sizin (“your”) itinizin itlərinizin
onların (“their”) itinin or itlərinin itlərinin

CharruaEdit

NounEdit

it

  1. fire

ReferencesEdit

  • Rodolfo Maruca Sosa, La nación charrúa (1957)

ChuukeseEdit

NounEdit

it

  1. name

Crimean TatarEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Turkic *it, *ït.

NounEdit

it

  1. dog

SynonymsEdit

ReferencesEdit

  • Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎[1], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

IrishEdit

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

ContractionEdit

it (triggers lenition)

  1. (Munster) Contraction of i do (“in your”).
    Buail it phóca é.
    Put it in your pocket.

Related termsEdit

Irish preposition contractions
Basic form Contracted with Copular forms
an (“the sg”) na (“the pl”) mo (“my”) do (“your”) a (“his, her, their; which (present)”) ár (“our”) ar (“which (past)”) (before consonant) (present/future before vowel) (past/conditional before vowel)
de (“from”) den de na
desna*		 de mo
dem*		 de do
ded*, det*		 dá dár dar darb darbh
do (“to, for”) don do na
dosna*		 do mo
dom*		 do do
dod*, dot*		 dá dár dar darb darbh
faoi (“under, about”) faoin faoi na faoi mo faoi do faoina faoinár faoinar faoinarb faoinarbh
fara (“along with, beside”) fairis an fairis na fara mo fara do farana faranár faranar faranarb faranarbh
i (“in”) sa, san sna i mo
im*		 i do
id*, it*		 ina inár inar inarb inarbh
le (“with”) leis an leis na le mo
lem*		 le do
led*, let*		 lena lenár lenar lenarb lenarbh
ó (“from, since”) ón ó na
ósna*		 ó mo
óm*		 ó do
ód*, ót*		 óna ónár ónar ónarb ónarbh
trí (“through”) tríd an trí na trí mo trí do trína trínár trínar trínarb trínarbh
*Dialectal.

LatinEdit

PronunciationEdit

VerbEdit

it

  1. third-person singular present active indicative of eō

LatvianEdit

ParticleEdit

it

  1. used to assign accentuation to expression
    it sevišķi ― especially
    it nekas ― nothing at all
    it nekur ― nowhere at all
    it nemaz ― not at all
    it kā ― as if

Middle DutchEdit

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

it

  1. Alternative form of het

Middle EnglishEdit

PronounEdit

it

  1. Alternative form of hit

DeterminerEdit

it

  1. Alternative form of hit

ReferencesEdit

Middle Low GermanEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old Saxon it, from Proto-Germanic *hit.

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

it

  1. (third person singular neuter nominative) it
  2. (third person singular neuter accusative) it

DeclensionEdit

Middle Low German personal pronouns
nominative accusative dative genitive
1st person singular ik (ek) mî (mê, mik, mek) mîn (mîner)
2nd person singular dû dî (dê, dik, dek) dîn (dîner)
3rd person singular
m hê (hî, hie) ēne, en (ȫne, ȫn) ēme, em (ȫme, en) sîn (sîner)
n it (et)
f sê (sî, sie, sü̂) ēre, ēr (ērer, ȫrer)
1st person plural wî (wê, wie) uns (ûs, ös, ü̂sik) unser (ûser)
2nd person plural gî (jê, î) jû (jûwe, û, jük, gik) jûwer (ûwer)
3rd person plural sê (sî, sie) em, öm, jüm (en; ehnen, ohnen, öhnen) ēre, ēr (ērer, ȫrer)

For an explanation of the forms in brackets see here.

DescendantsEdit

  • Low German: et, it
  • Plautdietsch: et

Min NanEdit

For pronunciation and definitions of it – see 一 (“one; each; every; etc.”).
(This character, it, is the Pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 一.)

Northern SamiEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • (Kautokeino) IPA(key): /ˈih(t)/

VerbEdit

it

  1. second-person singular present of ii

Old IrishEdit

Alternative formsEdit

  • (second-person singular form) at

PronunciationEdit

  • (second-person singular form) IPA(key): /it/
  • (third-person plural form) IPA(key): /id/

VerbEdit

it

  1. inflection of is:
    1. second-person singular present indicative
    2. third-person plural present indicative

Old SaxonEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Germanic *it.

PronounEdit

it n

  1. it

DeclensionEdit

Old Saxon personal pronouns
Personal pronouns
Singular 1. 2. 3. m 3. f 3. n
Nominative ik thū hē siu it
Accusative mī, me, mik thī, thik ina sia
Dative mī thī imu iru it
Genitive mīn thīn is ira is
Dual 1. 2. - - -
Nominative wit git - - -
Accusative unk ink - - -
Dative
Genitive unkero - - -
Plural 1. 2. 3. m 3. f 3. n
Nominative wī, we gī, ge sia sia siu
Accusative ūs, unsik eu, iu, iuu
Dative ūs im
Genitive ūser euwar, iuwer, iuwar, iuwero, iuwera iro

DescendantsEdit

  • Middle Low German: it
    • Low German: et, it
    • Plautdietsch: et

Sathmar SwabianEdit

AdverbEdit

it

  1. not

ReferencesEdit

  • Claus Stephani, Volksgut der Sathmarschwaben (1985)

TurkishEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Ottoman Turkish ایت‎ (it), from Old Turkic ıt‎ (ıt, “dog”), from Proto-Turkic *īt, *ıyt, *ɨt, *it.

NounEdit

it (definite accusative iti, plural itler)

  1. (often derogatory) dog
  2. (derogatory) scoundrel, detestable person
Usage notesEdit

Not historically derogatory, and still used as the primary term for "dog" in the countryside. Usually, if a dog is a stray or feral, it can be referred to as "it" as well. The more usual word is köpek, which is also pejorative and derogatory when used for a person.

DeclensionEdit
Inflection
Nominative it
Definite accusative iti
Singular Plural
Nominative it itler
Definite accusative iti itleri
Dative ite itlere
Locative itte itlerde
Ablative itten itlerden
Genitive itin itlerin
Possessive forms
Singular Plural
1st singular itim itlerim
2nd singular itin itlerin
3rd singular iti itleri
1st plural itimiz itlerimiz
2nd plural itiniz itleriniz
3rd plural itleri itleri
Predicative forms
Singular Plural
1st singular itim itlerim
2nd singular itsin itlersin
3rd singular it
ittir 		itler
itlerdir
1st plural itiz itleriz
2nd plural itsiniz itlersiniz
3rd plural itler itlerdir

Etymology 2Edit

VerbEdit

it

  1. second-person singular imperative of itmek (“to push”)

TurkmenEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old Turkic ıt‎ (ıt, “dog”), from Proto-Turkic *īt, *ıyt, *ɨt, *it.

NounEdit

it (definite accusative idi, plural itler)

  1. dog

DeclensionEdit

    declension of it
singular plural
nominative it itler
accusative idi itleri
genitive idiň itleriň
dative ide itlere
locative itde itlerde
ablative itden itlerden

UzbekEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Turkic *ɨt, *it.

NounEdit

it (plural itlar)

  1. dog

VolapükEdit

DeterminerEdit

it

  1. (with a personal pronoun) self; myself; yourself; himself; herself; itself; ourselves; themselves; emphasises the identity or singularity of the modified noun phrase

WelshEdit

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

it

  1. (literary) second-person singular of i

West FrisianEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old Frisian hit, from Proto-Germanic *hit.

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

it

  1. it (third-person singular neuter pronoun)
InflectionEdit
West Frisian personal pronouns
Number Person Nominative Objective Possessive
Normal Reflexive Determiner Pronoun
Singular First ik my mysels myn mines
Second Informal do/dû1 dy dysels dyn dines
Formal jo jo josels jo jowes
Third Masculine hy him himsels syn sines
Feminine sy/hja1 har harsels har harres
Neuter it it himsels syn sines
Plural First wy ús ússels ús uzes
Second jim(me) jim(me) jimsels/jinsels jim(me) jimmes
Third sy/hja1 har(ren) harsels har(ren) harres
1. Now mostly archaic and unused
Further readingEdit
  • “it (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

Etymology 2Edit

From Old Frisian thet, from Proto-Germanic *þat.

PronunciationEdit

DeterminerEdit

it

  1. neuter singular of de

ZhuangEdit

Zhuang cardinal numbers
 <  0 1 2  > 
    Cardinal : it

EtymologyEdit

Borrowed from Chinese 一 (MC ʔiɪt̚, “one”). Cognate with Thai เอ็ด (èt), Lao ເອັດ (’et), Shan ဢဵတ်း (’ét), Ahom 𑜒𑜢𑜄𑜫 (’it).

PronunciationEdit

NumeralEdit

it (old orthography it)

  1. one

Usage notesEdit

Used with ngeih rather than song.

SynonymsEdit

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