Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

To

To

([GREEK], emphatic or alone, [GREEK], obscure or unemphatic)
,
p
rep.
[AS.
tō
; akin to OS. & OFries.
tō
, D.
toe
, G.
zu
, OHG.
zuo
,
zua
,
zō
, Russ.
do
, Ir. & Gael.
do
, OL.
-do
,
-du
, as in
endo
,
indu
, in, Gr. [GREEK], as in [GREEK] homeward. √200. Cf.
Too
,
Tatoo
a beat of drums.]
1.
The preposition to primarily indicates approach and arrival, motion made in the direction of a place or thing and attaining it, access; and also, motion or tendency without arrival; movement toward; – opposed to
from
.
“To Canterbury they wend.”
Chaucer.
Stay with us, go not
to
Wittenberg.
Shakespeare
So
to
the sylvan lodge
They came, that like Pomona’s arbor smiled.
Milton.
I'll
to
him again, . . .
He'll tell me all his purpose.
She stretched her arms
to
heaven.
Dryden.
2.
Hence, it indicates motion, course, or tendency toward a time, a state or condition, an aim, or anything capable of being regarded as a limit to a tendency, movement, or action;
as, he is going
to
a trade; he is rising
to
wealth and honor
.
☞ Formerly, by omission of the verb denoting motion, to sometimes followed a form of be, with the sense of at, or in. “When the sun was [gone or declined] to rest.”
Chaucer.
3.
In a very general way, and with innumerable varieties of application, to connects transitive verbs with their remoter or indirect object, and adjectives, nouns, and neuter or passive verbs with a following noun which limits their action. Its sphere verges upon that of for, but it contains less the idea of design or appropriation;
as, these remarks were addressed
to
a large audience; let us keep this seat
to
ourselves; a substance sweet
to
the taste; an event painful
to
the mind; duty
to
God and
to
our parents; a dislike
to
spirituous liquor
.
Marks and points out each man of us
to
slaughter.
B. Jonson.
Whilst they, distilled
Almost
to
jelly with the act of fear,
Stand dumb and speak not
to
him.
Shakespeare
Add
to
your faith virtue; and
to
virtue knowledge; and
to
knowledge temperance; and
to
temperance patience; and
to
patience godliness; and
to
godliness brotherly kindness; and
to
brotherly kindness charity.
2 Pet. i. 5,6,7.
I have a king's oath
to
the contrary.
Shakespeare
Numbers were crowded
to
death.
Clarendon.
Fate and the dooming gods are deaf
to
tears.
Dryden.
Go, buckle
to
the law.
Dryden.
4.
As sign of the infinitive, to had originally the use of last defined, governing the infinitive as a verbal noun, and connecting it as indirect object with a preceding verb or adjective; thus, ready to go, i.e., ready unto going; good to eat, i.e., good for eating; I do my utmost to lead my life pleasantly. But it has come to be the almost constant prefix to the infinitive, even in situations where it has no prepositional meaning, as where the infinitive is direct object or subject; thus, I love to learn, i.e., I love learning; to die for one's country is noble, i.e., the dying for one's country. Where the infinitive denotes the design or purpose, good usage formerly allowed the prefixing of for to the to;
as, what went ye out
for
see? (
Matt. xi. 8
)
.
Then longen folk
to
go on pilgrimages,
And palmers
for to
seeken strange stranders.
Chaucer.
Such usage is now obsolete or illiterate. In colloquial usage, to often stands for, and supplies, an infinitive already mentioned; thus, he commands me to go with him, but I do not wish to.
5.
In many phrases, and in connection with many other words, to has a pregnant meaning, or is used elliptically.
Thus, it denotes or implies:
(a)
Extent; limit; degree of comprehension; inclusion as far as;
as, they met us
to
the number of three hundred
.
We ready are to try our fortunes
To
the last man.
Shakespeare
Few of the Esquimaux can count
to
ten.
Quant. Rev.
(b)
Effect; end; consequence;
as, the prince was flattered
to
his ruin; he engaged in a war
to
his cost; violent factions exist
to
the prejudice of the state
.
(c)
Apposition; connection; antithesis; opposition; as, they engaged hand to hand.
Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face
to
face.
1 Cor. xiii. 12.
(d)
Accord; adaptation;
as, an occupation
to
his taste; she has a husband
to
her mind
.
He
to
God's image, she
to
his was made.
Dryden.
(e)
Comparison;
as, three is
to
nine as nine is
to
twenty-seven; it is ten
to
one that you will offend him
.
All that they did was piety
to
this.
B. Jonson.
(f)
Addition; union; accumulation.
Wisdom he has, and
to
his wisdom, courage.
Denham.
(g)
Accompaniment;
as, she sang
to
his guitar; they danced
to
the music of a piano
.
Anon they move
In perfect phalanx
to
the Dorian mood
Of flutes and soft recorders.
Milton.
(h)
Character; condition of being; purpose subserved or office filled.
[In this sense archaic]
“I have a king here to my flatterer.”
Shak.
Made his masters and others . . . to consider him
to
a little wonder.
Walton.
☞ To in to-day, to-night, and to-morrow has the sense or force of for or on; for, or on, (this) day, for, or on, (this) night, for, or on, (the) morrow. To-day, to-night, to-morrow may be considered as compounds, and usually as adverbs; but they are sometimes used as nouns; as, to-day is ours.
To-morrow
, and
to-morrow
, and
to-morrow
;
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day.
Shakespeare
To and again
,
to and fro.
[R.]
–
To and fro
,
forward and back. In this phrase, to is adverbial.

There was great showing both
to and fro
.
Chaucer.
–
To-and-fro
,
a pacing backward and forward; as, to commence a to-and-fro.
Tennyson.
–
To the face
,
in front of; in behind; hence, in the presence of.
–
To wit
,
to know; namely. See
Wit
,
Verb.
I.
☞ To, without an object expressed, is used adverbially; as, put to the door, i. e., put the door to its frame, close it; and in the nautical expressions, to heave to, to come to, meaning to a certain position. To, like on, is sometimes used as a command, forward, set to. “To, Achilles! to, Ajax! to!”
Shak.

Webster 1828 Edition

To

TO

, prep.
1.
Noting motion towards a place; opposed to from, or placed after another word expressing motion towards. He is going to church.
2.
Noting motion towards a state or condition. He is going to a trade; he is rising to wealth and honor.
3.
Noting accord or adaptation; as an occupation suited to his taste; she has a husband to her mind.
4.
Noting address or compellation, or the direction of a discourse. These remarks were addressed to a large audience.
To you, my noble lord of Westmoreland;
I pledge your grace.
5.
Noting attention or application.
Go, buckle to the law.
Meditate upon these things; give yourself wholly to them. 1 Tim.4.
6.
Noting addition.
Add to your faith, virtue. 2 Pet.1.
Wisdom he has, and to his wisdom, courage.
7.
Noting opposition. They engaged hand to hand.
8.
Noting amount, rising to. They met us, to the number of three hundred.
9.
Noting proportion; as, three is to nine as nine is to twenty seven. It is ten to one that you will offend by your officiousness.
10. Noting possession or appropriation. We have a good seat; let us keep it to ourselves.
11. Noting perception; as a substance sweet to the taste; an event painful to the mind.
12. Noting the subject of an affirmation.
I have a king's oath to the contrary.
13. In comparison of.
All that they did was piety to this.
14. As far as.
Few of the Esquimaux can count to ten.
15. Noting intention.
--Marks and points out each man of us to slaughter.
[In this sense, for is now used.]
16. After an adjective, noting the object; as deaf to the cries of distress; alive to the sufferings of the poor. He was attentive to the company or to the discourse.
17. Noting obligation; as duty to God and to our parents.
18. Noting enmity; as a dislike to spiritus liquors.
19. Towards; as, she stretched her arms to heaven.
20. Noting effect or end. The prince was flattered to his ruin. He engaged in a war to this cost. Violent factions exist to the prejudice of the state.
Numbers were crowded to death.
21. To, as a sign of the infinitive, precedes the radical verb. Sometimes it is used instead of the ancient form, for to, noting purpose. David in his life time intended to build a temple. The legislature assembles annually to make and amend laws. The court will sit in February to try some important causes.
22. It precedes the radical verb after adjectives, noting the object; as ready to go; prompt to obey; quick to hear, but slow to censure.
23. It precedes the radical verb, noting the object.
The delay of our hopes teaches us to mortify our desires.
24. It precedes the radical verb, noting consequence.
I have done my utmost to lead my life so pleasantly as to forget my misfortunes.
25. It notes extent, degree or end. He languishes to death, even to death. The water rises to the highth of twenty feet. The line extends from one end to the other.
26. After the substantive verb, and with the radical verb, it denotes futurity. The construction, we are to meet at ten o'clock, every man at death is to receive the reward of his deeds, is a particular form of expressing future time.
27. After have, it denotes duty or necessity.
I have a debt to pay on Saturday.
28. To-day, to-night, to-morrow, are peculiar phrases derived from our ancestors. To in the two first, has the sense or force of this; this day, this night. In the last, it is equivalent to in or on; in or on the morrow. The words may be considered as compounds, to-day, to-night, to-morrow, and usually as adverbs. But sometimes they are used as nouns; as, to-day is ours.
To and from, backward and forward. In this phrase, to is adverbial.
To the face, in presence of; not in the absence of.
I withstood him face to face. Gal.2.
To-morrow, to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day.
[Note.--In the foregoing explanation of to, it is to be considered that the definition given is not always the sense of to by itself, but the sense rather of the word preceding it, or connected with it, or of to in connection with other words. In general, to is used in the sense of moving towards a place, or towards an object, or it expresses direction towards a place, end, object or purpose.]
To is often used adverbially to modify the sense of verbs; as, to come to; to heave to. The sense of such phrases is explained under the verbs respectively.
In popular phrases like the following, 'I will not come; you shall to, or too, a genuine Saxon phrase, to denotes moreover, besides, L. insuper.

Definition 2024

tö

tö

See also: toe, TOE, toé, toe-, and to'e

Swedish

Noun

tö n

  1. thaw, weather conditions that make snow and ice melt
    det som göms i snö, kommer upp i tö
    what was hidden in snow, comes back at thaw (Swedish proverb)

Related terms

  • blixthalka
  • dagsmeja
  • före
  • istapp
  • skare
  • slask
  • smältvatten
  • snömodd
  • töa
  • tövalla
  • töväder
  • underkyld

Veps

Etymology 1

From Proto-Finnic *töö.

Pronoun

tö ‎(genitive teiden, partitive teid)

  1. you (plural)
Inflection
Inflection of tö
nominative sing. sinä
genitive sing. sinun
partitive sing. sindai
partitive plur. teid
singular plural
nominative sinä tö
accusative sinun tö
genitive sinun teiden
partitive sindai teid
essive-instructive — —
translative — —
inessive sinus teiš
elative sinuspäi teišpäi
illative sinuhu teihe
adessive sinai teil
ablative sinaipäi teilpäi
allative sinei teile
abessive sinuta teita
comitative sinunke teidenke
prolative — —
approximative I — —
approximative II — —
egressive — —
terminative I — —
terminative II — —
terminative III — —
additive I — —
additive II — —

Etymology 2

From Proto-Finnic *töö.

Noun

tö

  1. work, labour
  2. (result of) work, product
  3. publication, issue
Inflection
Inflection of tö
nominative sing. tö
genitive sing. tön
partitive sing. töd
partitive plur. töid
singular plural
nominative tö töd
accusative tön töd
genitive tön töiden
partitive töd töid
essive-instructive tön töin
translative töks töikš
inessive tös töiš
elative töspäi töišpäi
illative ? töihe
adessive töl töil
ablative tölpäi töilpäi
allative töle töile
abessive töta töita
comitative tönke töidenke
prolative tödme töidme
approximative I tönno töidenno
approximative II tönnoks töidennoks
egressive tönnopäi töidennopäi
terminative I ? töihesai
terminative II tölesai töilesai
terminative III tössai —
additive I ? töihepäi
additive II tölepäi töilepäi

Derived terms

  • kiruhtö
  • käzitö
  • tedotö
  • ühthižtö
  • töaloveh
  • tölaud
  • tömehišt
  • töpaja
  • töpauk

References

Volapük

Preposition

tö

  1. at, on

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -øː

Similar Results