English

Pronoun

Yours

1. Alternative letter-case form of yours often used when referring to God or another important figure who is understood from context.

English

Pronoun

yours

1. That which belongs to you (singular); the possessive second-person singular pronoun used without a following noun.

   If this edit is mine, the other must be yours.  Their encyclopedia is good, but yours is even better.  It’s all yours.‎

2. That which belongs to you (plural); the possessive second-person plural pronoun used without a following noun.
   • 1907, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “chapter IX”, in The Younger Set (Project Gutenberg; EBook #14852), New York, N.Y.: A. L. Burt Company, published 1 February 2005 (Project Gutenberg version), OCLC 4241346:

     “Heavens!” exclaimed Nina, “the blue-stocking and the fogy!—and yours are pale blue, Eileen!—you’re about as self-conscious as Drina—slumping there with your hair tumbling à la Mérode! Oh, it's very picturesque, of course, but a straight spine and good grooming is better. […]”

3. Written at the end of a letter, before the signature.

   Yours sincerely,  Yours faithfully,  Yours,  Sincerely yours,‎

Usage notes

• In British English the adverb almost invariably follows the word yours at the end of a letter; in most dialects of American English it usually precedes it. As a general rule, sincerely is only employed if the name of the recipient is already known to the writer; a letter begun with Dear Sir or Dear Madam finishes with faithfully. Yours on its own and yours ever are less formal than the other forms.

Derived terms

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References

1. ↑ “yours” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).