I. ˈȯl adjective
Etymology: Middle English al, all, from Old English all, eall; akin to Old High German al all, Old Norse allr, Gothic alls, and perhaps to Old Irish oll large, beyond, Latin uls beyond, Old Slavic lani in the preceding year, Sanskrit araṇa foreign; basic meaning: beyond
1.
a. : that is the whole amount or quantity of
all rubbish should be cleared out of cellars
needed all the courage he had
it all began one rainy afternoon
: that is the whole extent or duration of
all the year round
sat up all night
one of the greatest victories in all history
b. : as much as possible : the greatest possible
wished them all happiness
traveled with all speed
was told in all seriousness
2.
a. : every member or individual component of : each one of — used distributively with a plural noun or pronoun to mean that a statement is true of every individual considered
all things to all men
all my friends were there
a film suitable for all ages
refugees all , from one thing or another — Punch
they all came late
b. of members of a class : each and every one of — used in logic as a verbalized equivalent of the universal quantifier
3. : the whole number or sum of — used collectively with a plural noun or pronoun to mean that a statement is true of the sum of the individuals considered
all the angles of a triangle are equal to two right angles
all these together are not worth 10 dollars
after all these years
4. : every — used chiefly in the phrases all manner of, all kind of
endured all manner of hardship
5. : any whatever
beyond all doubt
denied all responsibility
6. : nothing but : only , alone
I was born to speak all mirth and no matter — Shakespeare
a. : completely taken up with, given to, or absorbed by
found him all gratitude
suddenly became all attention
b. : having or seeming to have (some physical feature) in conspicuous excess or prominence
a body all legs
a face all pimples
c. : marked by acute or eager concentration on full perception by : paying full attention with
at the mention of bicycles the boy was all ears
7. dialect : used up : entirely consumed — used especially of food and drink
the keg of beer was all
8. : being more than one person or thing — used chiefly in speech especially after interrogative and plural personal pronouns
who all was there
what all do you have to do
— often written with hyphen between pronoun and all
we- all had better wait
— see you-all
Synonyms: see whole
•
- all the
- all two
II. adverb
Etymology: Middle English al, all, from Old English all, eall, from all, eall, adjective
1. : wholly , altogether , quite
sat all alone
a statement that was not all true
all gone
arrived all too late to be of service
he was all for the racy phrase — W.S.Maugham
— often used before other words and phrases or (chiefly in speech) after interrogative adverbs to intensify meaning
dealers all across the country
ran into the house all covered with mud
could hear moaning all around him
all too few
that's all very human and would harm nobody — Deems Taylor
where all have you been
— often used in compounds to indicate representation of a whole area
an all- British soccer team
or selection of the best
an all- girl team
2. obsolete : exclusively , only
I shall never marry like my sisters, to love my father all — Shakespeare
3. archaic : just : quite as indicated
a damsel lay deploring, all on a rock reclined — John Gay
— often merely intensive
4. : by that amount : so much : very much — used with the and an adverb or adjective in the comparative degree
all the better for a night's sleep
from private sources and therefore all the more revealing
5. : for each side : apiece , each
the score is two all
•
- all of
- all the
III. pronoun
Etymology: Middle English al, all (from al, all, adjective) & alle, plural of al, all
1. : the whole number, quantity, or amount : totality — often used with a following relative clause
all that I have
and with of and a pronoun and in recent usage with of and a noun
all of us
all of the books
2. : everybody , everything : everything in a particular scene or sequence of events
through all he sat immovable
sacrificed all for love
to make it plain to one and all
that is all
when all is said and done
•
- and all
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English al, all, from al, all, adjective
1.
a. : the whole of one's possessions or of what one holds dear
to lose one's all
b. alls plural , now chiefly dialect : belongings : personal possessions
2. usually capitalized
a. : whole , totality
b. : the universe