[the] definite article [ME, fr. OE the, masc. demonstrative pron. & definite article, alter. (influenced by oblique cases -- as thaes, gen. -- & neut., thaet) of se; akin to Gk ho, masc. demonstrative pron. & definite article--more at that] (bef. 12c) 1 a--used as a function word to indicate that a following noun or noun equivalent is definite or has been previously specified by context or by circumstance "put ~ cat out" b--used as a function word to indicate that a following noun or noun equivalent is a unique or a particular member of its class "~ President" "~ Lord" c--used as a function word before nouns that designate natural phenomena or points of the compass "~ night is cold" d--used as a function word before a noun denoting time to indicate reference to what is present or immediate or is under consideration "in ~ future" e--used as a function word before names of some parts of the body or of the clothing as an equivalent of a possessive adjective "how's ~ arm today" f--used as a function word before the name of a branch of human endeavor or proficiency "~ law" g--used as a function word in prepositional phrases to indicate that the noun in the phrase serves as a basis for computation "sold by ~ dozen" h--used as a function word before a proper name (as of a ship or a well-known building) "~ Mayflower" i--used as a function word before the plural form of a numeral that is a multiple of ten to denote a particular decade of a century or of a person's life "life in ~ twenties" j--used as a function word before the name of a commodity or any familiar appurtenance of daily life to indicate reference to the individual thing, part, or supply thought of as at hand "talked on ~ telephone" k--used as a function word to designate one of a class as the best, most typical, best known, or most worth singling out "this is ~ life" "~ Pill"--sometimes used before a personal name to denote the most prominent bearer of that name
2. a (1)--used as a function word with a noun modified by an adjective or by an attributive noun to limit the application of the modified noun to that specified by the adjective or by the attributive noun "~ right answer" "Peter ~ Great" (2)--used as a function word before an absolute adjective or an ordinal number "nothing but ~ best" "due on ~ first" b (1)--used as a function word before a noun to limit its application to that specified by a succeeding element in the sentence "~ poet Wordsworth" "~ days of our youth" "didn't have ~ time to write" (2)--used as a function word after a person's name to indicate a characteristic trait or notorious activity specified by the succeeding noun "Jack ~ Ripper" 3 a--used as a function word before a singular noun to indicate that the noun is to be understood generically "~ dog is a domestic animal" b--used as a function word before a singular substantivized adjective to indicate an abstract idea "an essay on ~ sublime" 4--used as a function word before a noun or a substantivized adjective to indicate reference to a group as a whole "~ elite"
[2]the adv [ME, fr. OE thy by that, instrumental of thaet that] (bef. 12c) 1: than before: than otherwise--used before a comparative "none ~ wiser for attending"
2. a: to what extent "~ sooner the better" b: to that extent "the sooner ~ better"
3: beyond all others "likes this ~ best" [3]the prep [[1]the] (15c): per
2. "a dollar ~ dozen"