it

Alternative forms

• itt (obsolete)

Pronoun

it (subjective and objective it, reflexive and intensive itself, possessive determiner and noun its)

1. The third-person singular personal pronoun that is normally used to refer to an inanimate object, also often used to refer to animals.

   Put it over there.

   Take each day as it comes.

   I heard the sound of the school bus - it was early today.

2. A third-person singular personal pronoun used to refer to a child, especially of unknown gender.

   She took the baby and held it in her arms.

   • 1847, Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, Chapter IV:

     A child cannot quarrel with its elders, as I had done; cannot give its furious feelings uncontrolled play, as I had given mine, without experiencing afterwards the pang of remorse and the chill of reaction.

   • 1859, Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White:

     I could only encourage Mrs. Clements to speak next of Anne's early days […] "There was nobody else, sir, to take the little helpless creature in hand," replied Mrs. Clements. "The wicked mother seemed to hate it—as if the poor baby was in fault!—from the day it was born. My heart was heavy for the child, and I made the offer to bring it up as tenderly as if it was my own."
     "Did Anne remain entirely under your care from that time?"
     "Not quite entirely, sir. Mrs. Catherick had her whims and fancies about it at times, and used now and then to lay claim to the child, as if she wanted to spite me for bringing it up.

   • 2005, Marcus Zusak, The Book Thief, part 10:

     The sky was dripping. Like a tap that a child has tried its hardest to turn off but hasn't quite managed.

3. Used to refer to someone being identified, often on the phone, but not limited to this situation.

   It's me. John.

   Is it her?

4. The impersonal pronoun, used without referent as the subject of an impersonal verb or statement. (known as the dummy pronoun or weather it)

   It is nearly 10 o’clock.

   It’s 10:45 [read ten-forty-five].

   It’s very cold today.

   It’s lonely without you.

5. The impersonal pronoun, used as a placeholder for a delayed subject, or less commonly, object; known as the dummy pronoun or, more formally in linguistics, a syntactic expletive. The delayed subject is commonly a to-infinitive, a gerund, or a noun clause introduced by a subordinating conjunction.

   It is easy to see how she would think that. (with the infinitive clause headed by to see)

   I find it odd that you would say that. (with the noun clause introduced by that)

   It is hard seeing you so sick. (with the gerund seeing)

   He saw to it that everyone would vote for him. (with the noun clause introduced by that)

   It is not clear if the report was true. (with the noun clause introduced by if)

6. All or the end; something after which there is no more.

   Are there more students in this class, or is this it?

   That's it—I'm not going to any more candy stores with you.

7. (chiefly pejorative, offensive) A third-person singular personal pronoun used to refer to an animate referent who is transgender or is neither female nor male.
   • 1993, Bruce Coville, Aliens Ate My Homework, pages 72–73:

     "Oh, don't be silly. I am neither male nor female. I'm a farfel." […] "It. Refer to me as an it."
     "That seems pretty rude," I said nervously.
     "Not as rude as calling me a he or a she," it said.

8. (obsolete) Followed by an omitted and understood relative pronoun: That which; what.
   • 1643, Thomas Browne, Religio Medici, II.2:

     In briefe, I am content, and what should providence add more? Surely this is it [= it which] wee call Happinesse, and this doe I enjoy [...].

See Wiktionary:English inflection for other personal pronouns.

Determiner

it

1. (obsolete) its
   • 1611, Authorized King James Version of the Bible, first edition, Leviticus 25:5:

     That which groweth of it owne accord of thy haruest, thou ſhalt not reape, neither gather the grapes of thy Uine vndreſſed: for it is a yeere of reſt vnto the land. (replaced by "its" in the 1769 Oxford Standard Text)

Noun

it (plural its)

1. One who is neither a he nor a she; a creature; a dehumanized being.
   • 1995, Neil Weiner, Sharon E. Robinson Kurpius, Shattered innocence (page 8)

     Too often, children become an "it" in their homes and their humanness is devalued.

   • 1920, Herman Cyril McNeile, Bulldog Drummond Chapter 1

     His master glanced up quickly, and removed the letter from his hands. "I'm surprised at you, James," he remarked severely. "A secretary should control itself. Don't forget that the perfect secretary is an it: an automatic machine—a thing incapable of feeling.…"

2. The person who chases and tries to catch the other players in the playground game of tag.

   In the next game, Adam and Tom will be it…

   • 2000, Katherine T. Thomas, Amelia M. Lee, Jerry R. Thomas, Physical education for children (page 464)

     When there are only two children left who haven't been tagged, I will stop the game, and we will start over with those children starting as the Its.

3. (Britain, uncountable) The game of tag.

   Let's play it at breaktime.

4. (uncountable) sex appeal, especially that which goes beyond beauty.
   • 1904, Rudyard Kipling, "Mrs Bathurst"

     'Tisn't beauty, so to speak, nor good talk necessarily. It's just It. Some women'll stay in a man's memory if they once walked down a street

   • 1927, Dorothy Parker,

     And she had It. It, hell; she had Those.

5. (euphemistic) sexual activity

Adjective

it (not comparable)

1. (colloquial) most fashionable.
   • 2007 September, Vibe, volume 15, number 9, page 202:

     Going away for the weekend and feel the need to profile en route? This is the "it" bag.

   • David Germain, Hilarious ‘Kick-Ass’ delivers bloody fun, Associated Press, 2010:

     With Hit Girl, Moretz is this year's It Girl, alternately sweet, savage and scary.

Abbreviation

it

1. (language) Italian.
2. Italy.

Declension

Synonyms

• köpek

References

• Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎, Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

Related terms

Declension

Declension

Descendants

• Low German: et

Noun

it (definite accusative iti, plural itler)

1. (often derogatory) dog
2. (derogatory) scoundrel, detestable person

Verb

it

1. second-person singular imperative of itmek (“to push”)

Declension

Usage notes

Used with ngeih rather than song.

Synonyms

• ndeu