the

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I call it the propinquity error because if often happens when the typesetter's eyes make an inadvertent visual jump from one line to a line or two below in the manuscript because the same word appears in both places.

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Definitions (39)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (16)

  1. definite article Used before singular or plural nouns and noun phrases that denote particular, specified persons or things: the baby; the dress I wore.
  2. definite article Used before a noun, and generally stressed, to emphasize one of a group or type as the most outstanding or prominent: considered Lake Shore Drive to be the neighborhood to live in these days.
  3. definite article Used to indicate uniqueness: the Prince of Wales; the moon.
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Examples

  • You know we always told each other the truth, and I won't lie to you now. —  Cry Mercy Cry Love
  • Reid had told her that he was already checked out of the motel and would be going to the ranch today to settle in. —  Cry Mercy Cry Love
  • I call it the propinquity error because if often happens when the typesetter's eyes make an inadvertent visual jump from one line to a line or two below in the manuscript because the same word appears in both places. —  VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol XVIII No 4
  • When you come to close quarters with him remember — quarter ( 'Pardon' is the German word the —  William of Germany
  • Lovers call it the Time of the Cuckoo. —  VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol V No 2
 

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The has been looked up 3116 times, favorited once, listed 60 times, and commented on 15 times.

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Etymologies (4)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. Middle English, from Old English the, alteration (influenced by , th-, oblique case stem of demonstrative pron.) of se, masculine demonstrative pron.; see so- in Indo-European roots.
  2. Middle English, from Old English thȳ, thē, instrumental of thæt, neuter demonstrative pron.; see to- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English the, from Anglo-Saxon the, rare as an article but common as a relative, feminine theó, also rare, neuter thæt, the; the usual forms being se, masculine, seó, feminine, thæt, neuter, with the base the (tha-) appearing in all the oblique forms (genitive thæs, masculine, thæy¯re, feminine, thæs, neuter; dative tham, thære, tham; accusative thane or thone, thā, thæt; instrumental thy¯ or thē, thæy¯re, thy¯ or thē; plural for all genders, nominative accusative thā, genitive thāra, dative instrumental thām, thæy¯m); = Old Saxon the = OFries. thi, the, = Dutch de = Middle Low German Low German de = Old High German Middle High German der, diu, daz, German der, die, das, the, that, = Icelandic that, the, = Swedish den, this, = Danish den, the, = Gothic (Moesogothic) sa, masculine, sō, feminine, thata, neuter (see that) = Lithuanian tas, ta, that, = Russian totŭ, ta, to, that, = L. -te in iste, ista, istud, that, = Greek ὁ, ἡ, τό = Sanskrit tat, it, that; from a pronominal (demonstrative) base ta, Teutonic tha, ‘that,’ the common base of many pronominal adjectives and adverbs, as that, they (their, them), this, these, those, thus, the, there, then, than, thence, thither, though, etc., correlative to similar demonstrative forms in h-, as here, her, hence, hither, and interrogative and relative forms in wh- (who, what, why, where, when, whence, whither, etc.). In some cases, as in the tother, the tone, the arises from a merely mechanical misdivision of thet other, thet one, i. e. that other, that one (see tother, tone). It may be noted that initial th (Anglo-Saxon þ or ð) is in the and all the words of this group pronounced ŦH, while in all other cases it is in modern English always pronounced th.
  2. from Middle English the, thi, from Anglo-Saxon thē, thy¯ = Old Saxon thiu, diu, weakened te, de as an enclitic in des te, des de = Dutch des te = Middle Low German deste, duste = Middle High German deste, dest, German desto (cf. Anglo-Saxon (thæs the) = Danish des, desto = Swedish dess, desto = Icelandic thvī, thi = Gothic (Moesogothic) thē, instrumental of thata (Anglo-Saxon thæt): see that, the.
 

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/ði, ðik/
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