On the road

On the road
On On ([o^]n), prep. [OE. on, an, o, a, AS. on, an; akin to D. aan, OS. & G. an, OHG. ana, Icel. [=a], Sw. [*a], Goth. ana, Russ. na, L. an-, in anhelare to pant, Gr. 'ana`, Zend ana. [root]195. Cf. {A-}, 1, {Ana-}, {Anon}.] The general signification of on is situation, motion, or condition with respect to contact or support beneath; as: [1913 Webster]

1. At, or in contact with, the surface or upper part of a thing, and supported by it; placed or lying in contact with the surface; as, the book lies on the table, which stands on the floor of a house on an island. [1913 Webster]

I stood on the bridge at midnight. --Longfellow. [1913 Webster]

2. To or against the surface of; -- used to indicate the motion of a thing as coming or falling to the surface of another; as, rain falls on the earth. [1913 Webster]

Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken. --Matt. xxi. 44. [1913 Webster]

3. Denoting performance or action by contact with the surface, upper part, or outside of anything; hence, by means of; with; as, to play on a violin or piano. Hence, figuratively, to work on one's feelings; to make an impression on the mind. [1913 Webster]

4. At or near; adjacent to; -- indicating situation, place, or position; as, on the one hand, on the other hand; the fleet is on the American coast. [1913 Webster]

5. In addition to; besides; -- indicating multiplication or succession in a series; as, heaps on heaps; mischief on mischief; loss on loss; thought on thought. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

6. Indicating dependence or reliance; with confidence in; as, to depend on a person for assistance; to rely on; hence, indicating the ground or support of anything; as, he will promise on certain conditions; to bet on a horse; based on certain assumptions. [1913 Webster +PJC]

7. At or in the time of; during; as, on Sunday we abstain from labor. See {At} (synonym). [1913 Webster]

8. At the time of; -- often conveying some notion of cause or motive; as, on public occasions, the officers appear in full dress or uniform; the shop is closed on Sundays. Hence, in consequence of, or following; as, on the ratification of the treaty, the armies were disbanded; start on the count of three. [1913 Webster +PJC]

9. Toward; for; -- indicating the object of some passion; as, have pity or compassion on him. [1913 Webster]

10. At the peril of, or for the safety of. ``Hence, on thy life.'' --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

11. By virtue of; with the pledge of; -- denoting a pledge or engagement, and put before the thing pledged; as, he affirmed or promised on his word, or on his honor. [1913 Webster]

12. To the account of; -- denoting imprecation or invocation, or coming to, falling, or resting upon; as, on us be all the blame; a curse on him. [1913 Webster]

His blood be on us and on our children. --Matt. xxvii. 25. [1913 Webster]

13. In reference or relation to; as, on our part expect punctuality; a satire on society. [1913 Webster]

14. Of. [Obs.] ``Be not jealous on me.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Or have we eaten on the insane root That takes the reason prisoner? --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Note: Instances of this usage are common in our older writers, and are sometimes now heard in illiterate speech. [1913 Webster]

15. Occupied with; in the performance of; as, only three officers are on duty; on a journey; on the job; on an assignment; on a case; on the alert. [1913 Webster +PJC]

16. In the service of; connected with; a member of; as, he is on a newspaper; on a committee. [1913 Webster]

Note: On and upon are in general interchangeable. In some applications upon is more euphonious, and is therefore to be preferred; but in most cases on is preferable. [1913 Webster]

17. In reference to; about; concerning; as, to think on it; to meditate on it. [PJC]

{On a bowline}. (Naut.) Same as {Closehauled}.

{On a wind}, or {On the wind} (Naut.), sailing closehauled.

{On a sudden}. See under {Sudden}.

{On board}, {On draught}, {On fire}, etc. See under {Board}, {Draught}, {Fire}, etc.

{On it}, {On't}, of it. [Obs. or Colloq.] --Shak.

{On shore}, on land; to the shore.

{On the road}, {On the way}, {On the wing}, etc. See under {Road}, {Way}, etc.

{On to}, upon; on; to; -- sometimes written as one word, onto, and usually called a colloquialism; but it may be regarded in analogy with into. [1913 Webster]

They have added the -en plural form on to an elder plural. --Earle. [1913 Webster]

We see the strength of the new movement in the new class of ecclesiastics whom it forced on to the stage. --J. R. Green. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The Road Not Taken — is a poem by Robert Frost, published in 1916 in his collection Mountain Interval . It is the first poem in the volume, and the first poem Frost had printed in italics. The title is often misremembered as The Road Less Traveled , from the… …   Wikipedia

  • The Road of Kings —   The Road of Kings by …   Wikipedia

  • The Road of the Dead — is a 2006 novel by Kevin Brooks about teenage brothers living in London who travel to the moorland in search of their sister s killer. It is shorlisted for the 2007 Carnegie Medal. ISBN 978 1 905294 26 8.Plot summary The Road of the Dead opens as …   Wikipedia

  • The Road Home — may refer to:* The Road Home (song), a song by American Country music artist Travis Tritt. * The Road Home (Heart album), a 1995 album by Heart. * The Road Home (band), a band of Bill Sprouse Jr. * The Road Home (1999 film), a Chinese film… …   Wikipedia

  • The Road Runner Show — was an animated anthology series which compiled theatrical Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies , which were produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons between 1948 and 1966. The Road Runner Show ran for two… …   Wikipedia

  • The Road Less Traveled — is the title of a number of works. Robert Frost s poem The Road Not Taken is sometimes mistakenly entitled The Road Less Traveled which comes from the final lines of the poem:: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by,… …   Wikipedia

  • The Road Back —   …   Wikipedia

  • The Road Rights and Liabilities of Wheelmen — The Road Rights and Liabilities of Wheelmen, written by George B. Clementson at the height of the bicycle s golden age, in 1895, was the first treatise on bicycle law. In the 1880s and 1890s, the prevailing legal issue cyclists (or wheelmen as… …   Wikipedia

  • The Road Home (agency) — The Road Home is a private non profit social services agency in Salt Lake City, Utah focused on providing assistance to homeless and low income individuals and families. The Road Home was established as the Travelers Aid Society in 1923 with the… …   Wikipedia

  • The End of the Road — (1958, revised 1967) is John Barth s second novel. It follows Jacob Horner as he deals with an extreme case of psychological paralysis. Plot summaryAfter some therapy with the extremist Doctor D, Horner gets a job as a grammar teacher at Wicomico …   Wikipedia

  • The Fause Knight Upon the Road — is Child ballad 3, Roud 20. It features a riddling exchange between a schoolboy and a false knight, the devil in disguise. [Francis James Child, English and Scottish Popular Ballads, [http://www.sacred texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch003.htm The Fause… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”