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this

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this

  [this] ,pronoun and adjective, plural these  [theez] ; adverb
Use this in a Sentence
–pronoun
1. (used to indicate a person, thing, idea, state, event, time, remark, etc., as present, near, just mentioned or pointed out, supposed to be understood, or by way of emphasis): This is my coat.
2. (used to indicate one of two or more persons, things, etc., referring to the one nearer in place, time, or thought; opposed to that): This is Liza and that is Amy.
3. (used to indicate one of two or more persons, things, etc., implying a contrast or contradistinction; opposed to that): I'd take that instead of this.
4. what is about to follow: Now hear this! Watch this!
–adjective
5. (used to indicate a person, place, thing, or degree as present, near, just indicated or mentioned, or as well-known or characteristic): These people are my friends. This problem has worried me for a long time.
6. (used to indicate the nearer in time, place, or thought of two persons, things, etc.; opposed to that).
7. (used to imply mere contradistinction; opposed to that).
8. (used in place of an indefinite article for emphasis): I was walking down the street when I heard this explosion.
–adverb
9. (used with adjectives and adverbs of quantity or extent) to the extent or degree indicated: this far; this softly.
—Idiom
10. with this, following this; hereupon: With this, he threw down his glass and left the table.
Origin:
bef. 900; (pronoun and adj.) ME; OE: nom. and acc. neut. sing. of the demonstrative pronoun thes (masc.), thēos (fem.); c. G dies, ON thissi; (adv.) ME, special use of the OE instrumental sing. thȳs, thīs, acc. sing. neut. this, perh. by association with thus
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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this   (thĭs)   
pron.   pl. these (thēz)

    1. Used to refer to the person or thing present, nearby, or just mentioned: This is my cat. These are my tools.

    2. Used to refer to what is about to be said: Now don't laugh when you hear this.

    3. Used to refer to the present event, action, or time: said he'd be back before this.

  2. Used to indicate the nearer or the more immediate one: This is mine and that is yours.

adj.   pl. these

  1. Being just mentioned or present in space, time, or thought: She left early this morning.

  2. Being nearer or more immediate: this side and that side.

  3. Being about to be stated or described: Just wait till you hear this story.

  4. Informal Used as an emphatic substitute for the indefinite article: looking for this book of recipes.

adv.  To this extent; so: never stayed out this late.

[Middle English, from Old English; see to- in Indo-European roots.]
Usage Note: This and that are both used as demonstrative pronouns to refer to a thought expressed earlier: The letter was unopened; that (or this) in itself casts doubt on the inspector's theory. That is sometimes viewed as the better choice in referring to what has gone before (as in the preceding example). When the referent is yet to be mentioned, only this is used: This (not that) is what bothers me: we have no time to consider late applications. · This is often used in speech and informal writing as an emphatic substitute for the indefinite article to refer to a specific thing or person: You should talk to this friend of mine at the Department of Motor Vehicles. I have this terrible feeling that I forgot to turn off the gas. It is best to avoid this substitution in formal writing except when a conversational tone is desired. See Usage Note at that.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

this 
O.E. þis, neuter demonstrative pronoun and adj. (masc. þes, fem. þeos), probably from a North Sea Gmc. pronoun formed by combining the base *þa- (see that) with -s, which is probably identical with O.E. se "the" (representing here "a specific thing"), but it may be O.E. seo, imperative of see (v.) "to behold." Cf. O.S. these, O.N. þessi, Du. deze, O.Fris. this, O.H.G. deser, Ger. dieser. Once fully inflected, with 10 distinct forms (see table below); the oblique cases and other genders gradually fell away by 15c. The O.E. plural was þæs (nom. and acc.), which in Northern M.E. became thas, and in Midlands and Southern England became thos. The Southern form began to be used late 13c. as the plural of that (replacing M.E. tho, from O.E. þa) and acquired an -e (apparently from the influence of M.E. adj. plurals in -e; cf. alle from all, summe from sum "some"), emerging early 14c. as modern those. About 1175 thes (probably a variant of O.E. þæs) began to be used as the plural of this, and by 1200 it had taken the form these, the final -e acquired via the same mechanism that gave one to those.

Masc.Fem.Neut.Plural
Nom.þesþeosþisþas
Acc.þisneþasþisþas
Gen.þissesþisseþissesþissa
Dat.þissumþisseþissumþissum
Inst.þysþisseþysþissum
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

this

In addition to the idioms beginning with this, also see at this point; at this rate; at this stage; from this day forward; in this day and age; out of this world; shuffle off (this mortal coil).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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