pron.
Pronunciation: y ē , y ə ; orig same as 1 THE
Function: definite article
Etymology: alteration of Middle English þ e the, from Old English þ ē ; from the use of the letter y by printers and scribes of late Middle English to represent þ ( th ) of earlier manuscripts
Date: 1551
archaic : THE < Ye Olde Gifte Shoppe>