Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Is

Is

,
Verb.
I.
[AS.
is
; akin to G. & Goth.
ist
, L.
est
, Gr. [GREEK], Skr.
asti
. √9. Cf.
Am
,
Entity
,
Essence
,
Absent
.]
The third person singular of the substantive verb be, in the indicative mood, present tense;
as, he
is
; he
is
a man
. See
Be
.
☞ In some varieties of the Northern dialect of Old English, is was used for all persons of the singular.
For thy
is
I come, and eke Alain.
Chaucer.
Aye
is
thou merry.
Chaucer.
☞ The idiom of using the present for future events sure to happen is a relic of Old English in which the present and future had the same form; as, this year Christmas is on Friday.

Webster 1828 Edition

Is

IS

,
Verb.
I.
iz.
[L. est.] The third person singular of the substantive verb, which is composed of three or four distinct roots, which appear in the words am, be, are, and is. Is and was coincide with the Latin esse, and Goth.wesan. In the indicative, present tense, it is thus varied; I am, thou art, he, she, or it, is; we, ye or you, they,
are.
In writing and speaking, the vowel is often dropped; as, he's gone; there's none left.

Definition 2024

Is

Is

See also: Appendix:Variations of "is"

English

Noun

Is

  1. plural of I

Usage notes

  • There is some difference of opinion regarding the use of apostrophes in the pluralization of references to letters as symbols. New Fowler's Modern English Usage, after noting that the usage has changed, states on page 602 that "after letters an apostrophe is obligatory." The 15th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style states in paragraph 7.16, "To avoid confusion, lowercase letters ... form the plural with an apostrophe and an s". The Oxford Style Manual on page 116 advocates the use of common sense.

Anagrams

is

is

See also: Appendix:Variations of "is"

English

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Verb

is

  1. third-person singular simple present indicative form of be
    He is a doctor. He retired some time ago.
    Should he do the task, it is vital that you follow him.
    It all depends on what the meaning of is is. - Bill Clinton
  2. (colloquial, nonstandard) second-person present of be

Derived terms

Quotations
  • For usage examples of this term, see Citations:is.

Synonyms

Translations

See also

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: he · his · with · #12: is · it · for · as

Etymology 2

i +‎ -s.

Pronunciation

  • (UK, US) IPA(key): /aɪz/
  • Rhymes: -aɪz

Noun

is

  1. plural of i
    remember to dot your is
Usage notes
  • There is some difference of opinion regarding the use of apostrophes in the pluralization of references to letters as symbols. New Fowler's Modern English Usage, after noting that the usage has changed, states on page 602 that "after letters an apostrophe is obligatory." The 15th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style states in paragraph 7.16, "To avoid confusion, lowercase letters ... form the plural with an apostrophe and an s". The Oxford Style Manual on page 116 advocates the use of common sense.

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Verb

is

  1. am, are, is (present tense, all persons, plural and singular of wees, to be)
  2. Forms the perfect passive voice when followed by a past participle

Bagusa

Noun

is

  1. woman

References

Catalan

Noun

is

  1. plural of i

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse íss, from Proto-Germanic *īsą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyH-.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /iːs/
  • Rhymes: -iːs

Noun

is c (singular definite isen, plural indefinite is)

  1. (uncountable) ice (water in frozen form)
  2. (uncountable) ice, ice cream (dessert, not necessarily containing cream)
  3. (countable) ice, ice cream (ice dessert on a stick or in a wafer cone)

Inflection

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɪs/

Verb

is

  1. third-person singular present indicative of zijn; is, equals
    Twaalf min drie is negen — twelve minus three equals nine

Adverb

is

  1. (informal, dialect) Misspelling of 's.

Anagrams

Gothic

Romanization

is

  1. Romanization of 𐌹𐍃

Hungarian

Etymology

Cognate of és ‎(“and”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈiʃ]

Adverb

is (not comparable)

  1. also, too, as well
    Én is szeretem a csokit. - I also like chocolate. (Besides other people)
    A csokit is szeretem. - I also like chocolate. (Besides other things)
  2. even
    Három óráig is tarthat a műtét - The operation may even take three hours.
  3. (after an interrogative word) again (used in a question to ask something one has forgotten)
    Hogy is hívják? - What's that called, again?

Synonyms

Derived terms

(Compound words):

(Expressions):

Irish

Etymology 1

From agus.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɪsˠ/, /sˠ/

Conjunction

is

  1. reduced form of agus ‎(“and; as”)
    Dia is Muire duit.‎
    Hello to you, too. (lit. God and Virgin Mary to you.)
    • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 1:
      wil nə fatī xō mŭȧ, s dūŕc šē?
      conventional orthography: An bhfuil na fataí chomh maith is dúirt sé?
      Are the potatoes as good as he said?
    • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 1:
      ə ʒēĺǵə, l̄aurīr ə gūǵə mūn, ńī h-ønn̥̄ ī s ə ʒēlgə š agń̥ə
      conventional orthography: An Ghaeilge a labhraíthear i gCúige Mumhan, ní hionann í is an Ghaeilge seo againne.
      The Irish used in Munster isn’t the same as our Irish.

Etymology 2

From Old Irish is ‎(“is”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- ‎(“to be”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɪsˠ/, /sˠ/ (before nouns and adjectives)
  • IPA(key): /ʃ/ (before pronouns é, í, ea, iad)

Particle

is

  1. Present/future realis copula form
    Is múinteoir é Dónall.‎ ― Dónall is a teacher. (definition: predicate is indefinite)
    Is é Dónall an múinteoir.‎ ― Dónall is the teacher. (identification: predicate is definite)
    Is féidir liom snámh.‎ ― I can swim. (idiomatic noun predicate)
    Is maith liom tae.‎ ― I like tea. (idiomatic adjective predicate)
    Is mise a chonnaic é.‎ ― I'm the one who saw him. (compare Hiberno-English "'Tis I who saw him"; cleft sentence)
    Is é Dónall atá ina mhúinteoir.‎ ― It's Dónall who is a teacher. (cleft sentence)
  2. Used to introduce the comparative/superlative form of adjectives
    an buachaill is mó‎ ― the bigger boy; the biggest boy
    Is mó an buachaill ná Séamas.‎
    The boy is bigger than James.
    Is é Séamas an buachaill is mó in Éirinn!‎
    James is the biggest boy in Ireland! (lit. "It is James (who is) the boy (who) is biggest in Ireland")
Usage notes

Used in present and future sentences for identification or definition of a subject as the person/object identified in the predicate of the sentence. Sometimes used with noun or adjective predicates, especially in certain fixed idiomatic phrases. Used to introduce cleft sentences, which are extremely common in Irish. It is not a verb.

In comparative/superlative formations, is is strictly speaking the relative of the copula, hence an buachaill is mó literally means "the boy who is biggest", i.e. "the biggest boy". The thing compared is introduced by ná ‎(“than”).

Related terms

Kwerba

Noun

is

  1. woman

References

Latin

Etymology 1

From Proto-Italic *is, from Proto-Indo-European *éy.

Pronunciation

Pronoun

is

  1. (demonstrative) it; he (refers to a masculine word), this, that
    Is mihi rescripsit.
    He wrote back to me.
Declension

Irregular: similar to first and second declensions, except for singular genitives ending in "-ius" and singular datives ending in "-ī".

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
nominative is ea id eī, iī eae ea
genitive eius, ejus eōrum eārum eōrum
dative eī eīs, iīs
accusative eum eam id eōs eās ea
ablative eō eā eō eīs, iīs

Related terms

See also

Etymology 2

Inflected form of eō ‎(“go”).

Pronunciation

Verb

īs

  1. second-person singular present active indicative of eo

References

  • is in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • Meissner, Carl; Auden, Henry William (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
    • to sum up..: ut eorum, quae dixi, summam faciam
    • (ambiguous) those to whom we owe our being: ei, propter quos hanc lucem aspeximus
    • (ambiguous) from youth up: a puero (is), a parvo (is), a parvulo (is)
    • (ambiguous) he feels better: melius ei factum est
    • (ambiguous) Fortune's favourite: is, quem fortuna complexa est
    • (ambiguous) to sully one's fair fame: vitae splendori(em) maculas(is) aspergere
    • (ambiguous) no word escaped him: nullum verbum ex ore eius excidit (or simply ei)
    • (ambiguous) he is in a suspicious mood: suspicio ei penitus inhaeret
    • (ambiguous) the debtor: debitor, or is qui debet
    • (ambiguous) the creditor: creditor, or is cui debeo
  • is in The Perseus Project (1999) Perseus Encyclopedia
  • is in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • is in William Smith., editor (1854, 1857) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly

Navajo

Interjection

is

  1. as if, as if it were true, it could be, is it really?, what do you mean by that?, so you say expressing surprise

Usage notes

Usually spelled with the final letter repeated: iss, isss, issss.

Alternative forms

  • as
  • isdaʼ

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse íss, from Proto-Germanic *īsą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyH-.

Noun

is m ‎(definite singular isen, indefinite plural is or iser, definite plural isene)

  1. (uncountable) ice
  2. (countable) ice cream

Synonyms

Derived terms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse íss, from Proto-Germanic *īsą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyH-.

Noun

is m ‎(definite singular isen, indefinite plural isar, definite plural isane)

  1. ice
  2. ice cream

Synonyms

Derived terms

References

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *īsą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyH-, *ey-, *ī- ‎(“ice, frost”). Cognate with Old Frisian īs (West Frisian iis), Old Saxon īs (Low German Ies), Dutch ijs, Old High German īs (German Eis), Old Norse íss (Danish and Swedish is), Gothic 𐌴𐌹𐍃 ‎(eis). There are parallels in many Iranian languages, apparently from the same Indo-European root: Avestan 𐬀𐬉𐬑𐬀 ‎(aēxa-, “frost, ice”), Persian یخ ‎(yakh), Pashto جح ‎(jaḥ), Ossetian их ‎(ix).

Noun

īs n

  1. ice
    • the Legend of St Andrew
      Ofer eastreamas is brycgade.
      The ice formed a bridge over the streams.
  2. The runic character ᛁ (/i/ or /i:/)

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Middle English: is

Old High German

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *īsą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyH-. Compare Old Saxon īs, Old English īs, Old Norse íss, Gothic 𐌴𐌹𐍃 ‎(eis).

Noun

īs

  1. ice

Descendants

Old Irish

Etymology

The lemma is itself is from Proto-Celtic *esti, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésti; other forms are from either *h₁es- or *bʰuH-.

Verb

is

  1. to be
    • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 14d26
      Is i persin Crist da·gníu-sa sin.
      It is in the person of Christ that I do that.

Usage notes

This is the so-called "copula", which is distinct from the "substantive verb" at·tá. The copula is used with noun predicates and to introduce a cleft sentence.

Conjugation

Form 1st sg. 2nd sg. 3rd sg. 1st pl. 2nd pl. 3rd pl.
Present indicative am
(relative): nonda 		at, it
(relative): nonda 		is
(relative): as 		ammi, ammin, immi
(relative): nondan 		adib, idib, adi
(relative): nondad 		it
(relative): ata, at
Present subjunctive ba ba, be ba
(relative): bes, bas 		— bede —
(relative): bete, beta
Past subjunctive — — bid, bith
(relative): bed, bad 		bemmis — betis, bitis
Imperative ba bad, bed ban, baán bad, bed bat
Future be be bid, bith bemmi, bimmi — bit
Conditional — — robad
(relative): bed 		— — robtis
Preterite and
imperfect indicative		 basa basa ba
(relative): ba 		— — batir, batar
(relative): batar

Derived terms

  • cesu ‎(“although... is”)
  • condid ‎(“so that... is”)
  • in ‎(“is... ?”)
  • masu ‎(“if... is”)
  • ní ‎(“is not”)

Synonyms

Old Saxon

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *it.

Pronoun

is ‎(is)

  1. his, its
Declension

Etymology 2

Verb

is

  1. third-person singular present indicative of wesan

Etymology 3

From Proto-Germanic *īsą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyH-, *ey-, *ī- ‎(“ice, frost”). Cognate with Old Frisian īs (West Frisian iis), Old English īs (English ice), Dutch ijs, Old High German īs (German Eis), Old Norse íss (Danish and Swedish is), Gothic 𐌴𐌹𐍃 ‎(eis).

Noun

īs n

  1. ice
  2. The runic character ᛁ (/i/ or /i:/)
Declension
Descendants
  • Middle Low German: îs
    • Low German: Ies

Portuguese

Pronunciation

Noun

is

  1. plural of i
    • 2003, J. K. Rowling, Lya Wyler, Harry Potter e a Ordem da Fênix, Rocco, page 411:
      Se você pôs os pingos nos is e cortou os tês então pode fazer o que quiser!
      If you've dotted your I's and crossed your T's, then you can do whatever you want!

Scots

Adverb

is ‎(not comparable)

  1. (South Scots) as

Synonyms

Conjunction

is

  1. (South Scots) as

Synonyms

Pronoun

is personal, non-emphatic

  1. (South Scots) me

See also

  • A
  • mei (emphatic variant)

Verb

is

  1. third-person singular simple present indicative form of be

See also

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

Conjunction

is

  1. and

Synonyms

Verb

is

  1. am, are, is

Usage notes

  • This defective verb doesn't have the infinitive, future tense, subjunctive or conditional moods.
  • The dependent form, used after particles, is e.
  • Is is used when linking the subject of a sentence with an object ("somebody is somebody", "somebody is something", "something is something"), otherwise forms of the verb bi are used:
    Is mise Dòmhnall.‎ ― I am Donald.
    Tha mise ann an taigh-seinnse.‎ ― I am in a pub.

Derived terms

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse íss, from Proto-Germanic *īsą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyH-.

Pronunciation

Noun

is c

  1. (uncountable) Ice; frozen water.
  2. (countable) Ice; a sheet of ice lying on a body of water.

Declension

Inflection of is 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative is isen isar isarna
Genitive is isens isars isarnas

Related terms

  • isa
  • isas
  • isbacke
  • isbalett
  • isbana
  • isbark
  • isbelagd
  • isbeläggning
  • isberg
  • isbildning
  • isbill
  • isbit
  • isbjörn
  • isblock
  • isblomma
  • isblå
  • isblåsa
  • isborr
  • isbrytande
  • isbrytare
  • isbrytning
  • isbränna
  • isbunden
  • isbälte
  • ischoklad
  • isdans
  • isdubb
  • isdämd
  • isdös
  • isfiske
  • isflak
  • isfläck
  • isfri
  • isfågel
  • isfält
  • isförhållanden
  • isgata
  • isglass
  • isgrå
  • ishalka
  • ishall
  • ishav
  • ishinder
  • ishink
  • ishinna
  • ishockey
  • isig
  • isigt
  • isjakt
  • iskaffe
  • iskall
  • iskana
  • iskant
  • iskarl
  • iskarvning
  • isklump
  • iskonvalj
  • iskorn
  • iskravning
  • iskristall
  • iskub
  • iskyla
  • iskyld
  • Island
  • islom
  • islossning
  • islår
  • isläge
  • islägga
  • ismaskin
  • ismassa
  • isning
  • isnot
  • ispansar
  • ispik
  • isprinsessa
  • ispropp
  • isracing
  • isrand
  • isranunkel
  • israpport
  • isränna
  • issituation
  • issjö
  • isskorpa
  • isskrapa
  • isskruvning
  • isskulptur
  • isskåp
  • issmältning
  • isstack
  • isstadion
  • isstycke
  • issvårigheter
  • issåg
  • issågning
  • issörja
  • istapp
  • iste
  • istid
  • isträning
  • istäcke
  • istäckt
  • istärning
  • isvak
  • isvatten
  • isvinter
  • isvit
  • isvägg
  • isyxa
  • isälv
  • isöken
  • nyis
  • tunn is

References

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English East.

Noun

is

  1. East

Turkish

Noun

is ‎(definite accusative isi, plural isler)

  1. fume

Declension

Volapük

Adverb

is

  1. here

Etymology

From Middle English is, from Old English is, from Proto-Germanic *isti (a form of Proto-Germanic *wesaną ‎(“to be”)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésti ‎(“is”). Cognate with West Frisian is ‎(“is”), Dutch is ‎(“is”), German ist ‎(“is”), Old Swedish is ‎(“is”). The paradigm of "to be" has been since the time of Proto-Germanic a synthesis of four originally distinct verb stems. The infinitive form "to be" is from *bʰuH- ‎(“to become”). The forms is and am are derived from *h₁es- ‎(“to be”) whereas the form are comes from *iraną ‎(“to rise, be quick, become active”). Lastly, the past forms starting with "w-" such as was and were are from *h₂wes- ‎(“to dwell; reside”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /iːs/

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