I. pronunciations at your II ( except first )+z pronoun
Etymology: Middle English yours, youres, from your + -s, -es, -'s
1.
a. : your one : your ones — used without a following noun as a pronoun equivalent in meaning to the adjective your
either my fault or yours
these tomatoes are yours
— often used especially with an adverbial modifier in the complimentary close of a letter to express the polite fiction that the sender puts himself entirely at the receiver's disposal
yours truly
yours faithfully
sincerely yours
— often used after of to single out one or more members of a class belonging to or connected with the one or ones being addressed
a neighbor of yours
some favorite records of yours
or merely to identify something or someone as belonging to or connected with the one or ones being addressed without any implication of membership in a more extensive class
that arthritis of yours
all those cats of yours
that wry humor of yours
b. : your family
sending best wishes to you and yours
c. : your letter
this is in reply to yours of the 24th
— usually considered stylistically undesirable
2. : something belonging to you : what belongs to you
all that is mine is yours — Lk 15:31 (Revised Standard Version)
3. : something belonging to one : what belongs to one
when you have worked hard, you naturally want to get the reward that is rightfully yours
— compare you I 2
•
- yours truly
II. adjective
obsolete : your II 1 — used as the first of two modifiers of the same noun