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more about all
all |
5 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: All \All\, a. [OE. al pl alle, AS eal, pl ealle, Northumbrian alle, akin to D. & OHG. al Ger. all Icel. allr. Dan. al Sw all Goth. alls; and perh. to Ir and Gael. uile, W. oll.] 1. The whole quantity, extent, duration, amount, quality, or degree of the whole; the whole number of any whatever; every; as all the wheat; all the land; all the year; all the strength; all happiness; all abundance; loss of all power; beyond all doubt; you will see us all (or all of us). Prove all things: hold fast that which is good. --1 Thess. v. 21. 2. Any [Obs.] ``Without all remedy.'' --Shak. Note: When the definite article ``the,'' or a possessive or a demonstrative pronoun, is joined to the noun that all qualifies, all precedes the article or the pronoun; as all the cattle; all my labor; all his wealth; all our families; all your citizens; all their property; all other joys. Note: This word not only in popular language, but in the Scriptures, often signifies, indefinitely, a large portion or number, or a great part Thus all the cattle in Egypt died, all Judea and all the region round about Jordan, all men held John as a prophet, are not to be understood in a literal sense but as including a large part or very great numbers. 3. Only; alone; nothing but I was born to speak all mirth and no matter. --Shak. {All the whole}, the whole (emphatically). [Obs.] ``All the whole army.'' --Shak. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: All \All\, adv 1. Wholly; completely; altogether; entirely; quite; very as all bedewed; my friend is all for amusement. ``And cheeks all pale.'' --Byron. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: All \All\, conj. [Orig. all adv., wholly: used with though or if which being dropped before the subjunctive left all as if in the sense although.] Although; albeit. [Obs.] All they were wondrous loth. --Spenser. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: All \All\, n. The whole number, quantity, or amount; the entire thing everything included or concerned; the aggregate; the whole; totality; everything or every person; as our all is at stake. Death, as the Psalmist saith, is certain to all --Shak. All that thou seest is mine. --Gen. xxxi. 43. Note: All is used with of like a partitive; as all of a thing all of us {After all}, after considering everything to the contrary; nevertheless. {All in all}, a phrase which signifies all things to a person, or everything desired; (also adverbially) wholly; altogether. Thou shalt be all in all and I in thee, Forever. --Milton. Trust me not at all or all in all --Tennyson. {All in the wind} (Naut.), a phrase denoting that the sails are parallel with the course of the wind, so as to shake. {All told}, all counted; in all {And all}, and the rest; and everything connected. ``Bring our crown and all.'' --Shak. {At all}. a In every respect; wholly; thoroughly. [Obs.] ``She is a shrew at al(l).'' --Chaucer. b A phrase much used by way of enforcement or emphasis, usually in negative or interrogative sentences, and signifying in any way or respect; in the least degree or to the least extent; in the least; under any circumstances; as he has no ambition at all has he any property at all? ``Nothing at all.'' --Shak. ``If thy father at all miss me.'' --1 Sam. xx 6. {Over all}, everywhere. [Obs.] --Chaucer. Note: All is much used in composition to enlarge the meaning, or add force to a word In some instances, it is completely incorporated into words and its final consonant is dropped, as in almighty, already, always: but in most instances, it is an adverb prefixed to adjectives or participles, but usually with a hyphen, as all-bountiful, all-glorious, allimportant, all-surrounding, etc In others it is an adjective; as allpower all-giver. Anciently many words as alabout alaground etc., were compounded with all which are now written separately. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: all adj 1: quantifier; used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class; "we sat up all night"; "ate all the food"; "all men are mortal"; "all parties are welcome" [syn: {all(a)}, {all of}] [ant: {some(a)}, {no(a)}] 2: completely given to or absorbed by "became all attention" adv : to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent; "he was wholly convinced"; "entirely satisfied with the meal"; "it was completely different from what we expected"; "was completely at fault"; "a totally new situation"; "the directions were all wrong"; "It was not altogether her fault"; "an altogether new approach"; (`whole' is often used informally for `wholly' as in "a whole new idea") [syn: {wholly}, {entirely}, {completely}, {totally}, {altogether}, {whole}] [ant: {partly}]
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