I. tə, tu̇, ˈtü preposition
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English tō; akin to Old High German zuo to, Latin do nec as long as, until
Date: before 12th century
1.
a. — used as a function word to indicate movement or an action or condition suggestive of movement toward a place, person, or thing reached
drove to the city
went back to the original idea
went to lunch
b. — used as a function word to indicate direction
a mile to the south
turned his back to the door
a tendency to silliness
c. — used as a function word to indicate contact or proximity
applied polish to the table
put her hand to her heart
d.
(1) — used as a function word to indicate the place or point that is the far limit
100 miles to the nearest town
(2) — used as a function word to indicate the limit of extent
stripped to the waist
e. — used as a function word to indicate relative position
perpendicular to the floor
2.
a. — used as a function word to indicate purpose, intention, tendency, result, or end
came to our aid
drink to his health
b. — used as a function word to indicate the result of an action or a process
broken all to pieces
go to seed
to their surprise, the train left on time
3. — used as a function word to indicate position or relation in time: as
a. : before
five minutes to five
b. : till
from eight to five
up to now
4. — used as a function word to indicate addition, attachment, connection, belonging, possession, accompaniment, or response
the key to the door
danced to live music
comes to her call
5. — used as a function word (1) to indicate the extent or degree (as of completeness or accuracy)
loyal to a man
generous to a fault
or the extent and result (as of an action or a condition)
beaten to death
(2) to indicate the last or an intermediate point of a series
moderate to cool temperatures
6.
a. — used as a function word (1) to indicate a relation to one that serves as a standard
inferior to her earlier works
(2) to indicate similarity, correspondence, dissimilarity, or proportion
compared him to a god
b. — used as a function word to indicate agreement or conformity
add salt to taste
to my knowledge
c. — used as a function word to indicate a proportion in terms of numbers or quantities
400 to the box
odds of ten to one
7.
a. — used as a function word (1) to indicate the application of an adjective or a noun
agreeable to everyone
attitude to friends
title to the property
(2) to indicate the relation of a verb to its complement or to a complementary element
refers to the traditions
refers us to the traditions
(3) to indicate the receiver of an action or the one for which something is done or exists
spoke to his mother
gives a dollar to the man
and often used with a reflexive pronoun to indicate exclusiveness (as of possession) or separateness
had the house to themselves
thought to herself
b. — used as a function word to indicate agency
falls to his opponent's blows
8. — used as a function word to indicate that the following verb is an infinitive
wants to go
and often used by itself at the end of a clause in place of an infinitive suggested by the preceding context
knows more than she seems to
II. ˈtü adverb
Date: before 12th century
1.
a. — used as a function word to indicate direction toward
feathers wrong end to
run to and fro
b. : close to the wind
the gale having gone over, we came to — R. H. Dana
2.
a. : into contact especially with the frame — used of a door or a window
the door snapped to
b. — used as a function word to indicate physical application or attachment
he…hath set to his seal — John 3:33(Authorized Version)
3. — used as a function word to indicate application or attention
will stand to — Shakespeare
4. : to a state of consciousness or awareness
brings her to with smelling salts
5. : at hand : by
get to see 'em close to — Richard Llewellyn