Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of 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.
\All\, adv. 1. Wholly; completely; altogether; entirely; quite; very; as, all bedewed; my friend is all for amusement. ``And cheeks all pale.'' --Byron. Note: In the ancient phrases, all too dear, all too much, all so long, etc., this word retains its appropriate sense or becomes intensive. 2. Even; just. (Often a mere intensive adjunct.) [Obs. or Poet.] All as his straying flock he fed. --Spenser. A damsel lay deploring All on a rock reclined. --Gay. {All to}, or {All-to}. In such phrases as ``all to rent,'' ``all to break,'' ``all-to frozen,'' etc., which are of frequent occurrence in our old authors, the all and the to have commonly been regarded as forming a compound adverb, equivalent in meaning to entirely, completely, altogether. But the sense of entireness lies wholly in the word all (as it does in ``all forlorn,'' and similar expressions), and the to properly belongs to the following word, being a kind of intensive prefix (orig. meaning asunder and answering to the LG. ter-, HG. zer-). It is frequently to be met with in old books, used without the all. Thus Wyclif says, ``The vail of the temple was to rent:'' and of Judas, ``He was hanged and to-burst the middle:'' i. e., burst in two, or asunder. {All along}. See under {Along}. {All and some}, individually and collectively, one and all. [Obs.] ``Displeased all and some.'' --Fairfax. {All but}. (a) Scarcely; not even. [Obs.] --Shak. (b) Almost; nearly. ``The fine arts were all but proscribed.'' --Macaulay. {All hollow}, entirely, completely; as, to beat any one all hollow. [Low] {All one}, the same thing in effect; that is, wholly the same thing. {All over}, over the whole extent; thoroughly; wholly; as, she is her mother all over. [Colloq.] {All the better}, wholly the better; that is, better by the whole difference. {All the same}, nevertheless. ``There they [certain phenomena] remain rooted all the same, whether we recognize them or not.'' --J. C. Shairp. ``But Rugby is a very nice place all the same.'' --T. Arnold. -- See also under {All}, n.
\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.
\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.