Our

Our
We We (w[=e]), pron.; pl. of I. [Poss. {Our} (our) or {Ours} (ourz); obj. {Us} ([u^]s). See {I}.] [As. w[=e]; akin to OS. w[=i], OFries. & LG. wi, D. wij, G. wir, Icel. v[=e]r, Sw. & Dan. vi, Goth. weis, Skr. vayam. [root]190.] The plural nominative case of the pronoun of the first person; the word with which a person in speaking or writing denotes a number or company of which he is one, as the subject of an action expressed by a verb. [1913 Webster]

Note: We is frequently used to express men in general, including the speaker. We is also often used by individuals, as authors, editors, etc., in speaking of themselves, in order to avoid the appearance of egotism in the too frequent repetition of the pronoun I. The plural style is also in use among kings and other sovereigns, and is said to have been begun by King John of England. Before that time, monarchs used the singular number in their edicts. The German and the French sovereigns followed the example of King John in a. d. 1200. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Our — Ardennen Flusslandschaft in LuxemburgVorlage:Infobox Fluss/KARTE fehlt Daten …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • our —    ‘Our’ is used in some English dialects to mean ‘belonging to our family’. Cider with Rosie, by Laurie Lee, has examples of ‘our’ + first name: our Mother, our lad. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, by Alan Sillitoe, has ‘our’ + first name… …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

  • Our — (our), possessive pron. [AS. [=u]re our, of us; akin to [=u]s us, to us, and to G. unser our, of us, Goth. unsara. [root]186. See {Us}.] Of or pertaining to us; belonging to us; as, our country; our rights; our troops; our endeavors. See {I}.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • our — [ aur ] determiner *** Our is a possessive determiner (followed by a noun), being a possessive form of we. belonging to or connected with you and the group you are a part of, when you are the person speaking or writing: Most of our friends live… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • our — W1S1 [auə US aur] determiner [possessive form of we ] [: Old English; Origin: ure] 1.) belonging to or connected with us ▪ a picture of our grandchildren ▪ You can stay at our house. ▪ We must preserve our natural environment. ▪ We must each take …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Our — puede referirse a: Our, comuna francesa situada en la región de Franco Condado, departamento de Jura. Our, río en Bélgica, Luxemburgo y Alemania, afluente del Sûre. Our, villa de la comuna de Paliseul, en Bélgica. Our, nombre en lengua acadia de… …   Wikipedia Español

  • our — our, ours 1. A difficulty arises when our is used in conjunction with another qualifying word as in The Italian and our troops or Our and the Italian troops. Here a better alternative is The Italian troops and ours, but not ☒ Ours and the Italian …   Modern English usage

  • -our — oursuff. [OF. our.] See { or}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Our — may refer to: Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany Our, Jura, a commune in France See also Ours (disambiguation) This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an …   Wikipedia

  • our — O.E. ure of us, genitive plural of the first person pronoun, from P.Gmc. *ons (Cf. O.S. usa, O.Fris. use, O.H.G. unsar, Ger. unser, Goth. unsar our ). Ours, formed c.1300, is a double possessive, originating in northern England, and has taken… …   Etymology dictionary

  • our — [our] possessive pronominal adj. [ME ure < OE ure, earlier user, gen. of us (see US), akin to Ger unser] of, belonging to, made by, or done by us …   English World dictionary

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