Hypertext Webster Gateway: "their"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

She \She\, pron. [sing. nom. {She}; poss. {Her}. or {Hers}; obj.
{Her}; pl. nom. {They}; poss. {Their}or {Theirs}; obj.
{Them}.] [OE. she, sche, scheo, scho, AS. se['o], fem. of the
definite article, originally a demonstrative pronoun; cf. OS.
siu, D. zij, G. sie, OHG. siu, s[=i], si, Icel. s[=u],
sj[=a], Goth. si she, s[=o], fem. article, Russ. siia, fem.,
this, Gr. ?, fem. article, Skr. s[=a], sy[=a]. The possessive
her or hers, and the objective her, are from a different
root. See {Her}.]
1. This or that female; the woman understood or referred to;
the animal of the female sex, or object personified as
feminine, which was spoken of.

She loved her children best in every wise.
--Chaucer.

Then Sarah denied, . . . for she was afraid. --Gen.
xviii. 15.

2. A woman; a female; -- used substantively. [R.]

Lady, you are the cruelest she alive. --Shak.

Note: She is used in composition with nouns of common gender,
for female, to denote an animal of the female sex; as,
a she-bear; a she-cat.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Their \Their\, pron. & a. [OE. thair, fr. Icel. [thorn]eirra,
[thorn]eira, of them, but properly gen. pl. of the definite
article; akin to AS. [eth][=a]ra, [eth][=ae]ra, gen. pl. of
the definite article, or fr. AS. [eth][=ae]ra, influenced by
the Scandinavian use. See {That}.]
The possessive case of the personal pronoun they; as, their
houses; their country.

Note: The possessive takes the form theirs (?) when the noun
to which it refers is not expressed, but implied or
understood; as, our land is richest, but theirs is best
cultivated.

Nothing but the name of zeal appears 'Twixt our
best actions and the worst of theirs. --Denham.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

He \He\ (h[=e]), pron. [nom. {He}; poss. {His} (h[i^]z); obj.
{Him} (h[i^]m); pl. nom. {They} ([th][=a]); poss. {Their} or
{Theirs} ([th][^a]rz or [th][=a]rz); obj. {Them}
([th][e^]m).] [AS. h?, masc., he['o], fem., hit, neut.; pl.
h[=i], or hie, hig; akin to Ofries. hi, D. hij, OS. he, hi,
G. heute to-day, Goth. himma, dat. masc., this, hina, accus.
masc., and hita, accus. neut., and prob. to L. his this.
[root]183. Cf. {It}.]
1. The man or male being (or object personified to which the
masculine gender is assigned), previously designated; a
pronoun of the masculine gender, usually referring to a
specified subject already indicated.

Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall
rule over thee. --Gen. iii.
16.

Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou
serve. --Deut. x. 20.

2. Any one; the man or person; -- used indefinitely, and
usually followed by a relative pronoun.

He that walketh with wise men shall be wise. --Prov.
xiii. 20.

3. Man; a male; any male person; -- in this sense used
substantively. --Chaucer.

I stand to answer thee, Or any he, the proudest of
thy sort. --Shak.

Note: When a collective noun or a class is referred to, he is
of common gender. In early English, he referred to a
feminine or neuter noun, or to one in the plural, as
well as to noun in the masculine singular. In
composition, he denotes a male animal; as, a he-goat.


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