[ðiː], (Determiner)

Definitions:
- denoting one or more people or things already mentioned or assumed to be common knowledge
(e.g: what's the matter?)

- used to point forward to a following qualifying or defining clause or phrase
(e.g: the fuss that he made of her)

- used to make a generalized reference to something rather than identifying a particular instance
(e.g: he taught himself to play the violin)

- enough of (a particular thing)
(e.g: he hoped to publish monthly, if only he could find the money)

- (pronounced stressing ‘the’) used to indicate that someone or something is the best known or most important of that name or type
(e.g: he was the hot young piano prospect in jazz)

- used adverbially with comparatives to indicate how one amount or degree of something varies in relation to another
(e.g: the more she thought about it, the more devastating it became)


Phrases:

Origin:
Old English se, sēo, thæt, ultimately superseded by forms from Northumbrian and North Mercian thē, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch de, dat, and German der, die, das