of
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OF
abbr.
1. Old French
2.
a. outfield
b. outfielder
of
(ŭv, ŏv; əv when unstressed)prep.
1. Derived or coming from; originating at or from: customs of the South.
2. Caused by; resulting from: a death of tuberculosis.
3. Away from; at a distance from: a mile east of here.
4. So as to be separated or relieved from: robbed of one's dignity; cured of distemper.
5. From the total or group comprising: give of one's time; two of my friends; most of the cases.
6. Composed or made from: a dress of silk.
7. Associated with or adhering to: people of your religion.
8. Belonging or connected to: the rungs of a ladder.
9.
a. Possessing; having: a person of honor.
b. On one's part: very nice of you.
10. Containing or carrying: a basket of groceries.
11. Specified as; named or called: a depth of ten feet; the Garden of Eden.
12. Centering on; directed toward: a love of horses.
13. Produced by; issuing from: products of the vine.
14. Characterized or identified by: a year of famine.
15.
a. With reference to; about: think highly of her proposals; will speak of it later.
b. In respect to: slow of speech.
16. Set aside for; taken up by: a day of rest.
17. Before; until: five minutes of two.
18. During or on a specified time: of recent years.
19. By: beloved of the family.
20. Used to indicate an appositive: that idiot of a driver.
21. Archaic On: "A plague of all cowards, I say" (Shakespeare).
[Middle English, from Old English; see apo- in Indo-European roots.]
Usage Note: The "double genitive" construction, in which a possessive form appears as the object of the preposition of, as in a friend of my father's or a book of mine, is looked down on by some grammarians and usage critics. But this construction has been used in English since the 1300s and serves a useful purpose. It can help sort out ambiguous phrases like Bob's photograph, which could mean either "a photograph of Bob" (i.e., revealing Bob's image) or "a photograph that is in Bob's possession." A photograph of Bob's, on the other hand, can only be a photo that Bob has in his possession and may or may not show Bob's image. There are also cases in which the double genitive may be more elegant; for example, many speakers find such sentences as That's your only friend that I've ever met or That's your only friend I've ever met to be awkward or impossible, but rephrasing using the double genitive provides an acceptable alternative, as in That's the only friend of yours that I've ever met. • Adverbs of degree, such as too, that, and so, tend to cause a shift in the word order of a sentence under certain circumstances. For instance, it's common to speak of "a long movie" or "a big deal," but not of "a too long movie" or "a that big deal." The customary way of rewording in these cases is to place the adverb and adjective before the indefinite article rather than after it: too long a movie; that big a deal. Often, especially in speech, an of is inserted as well: too long of a movie; that big of a deal. But this construction using of is considered ungrammatical; in our 2012 survey, 74 percent of the Usage Panel found the sentence That's too long of a movie for me to sit through unacceptable. A somewhat smaller number, but still a majority—58 percent—disapproved of He wanted to apologize, but I told him it wasn't that big of a deal.
Our Living Language Some speakers of vernacular English varieties, particularly in isolated or mountainous regions of the Southern United States, use phrases such as of a night or of an evening in place of at night or in the evening, as in We'd go hunting of an evening. This of construction is used only when referring to a repeated action, where Standard English uses nights, evenings, and the like, as in We'd go hunting nights. It is not used for single actions, as in She returned at night. · These of and -s constructions are related. The -s construction, which dates back to the Old English period (c. 449-1100), does not signify a plurality but is similar to the so-called genitive suffix -s, which often indicates possession, as in the king's throne. Just as this example can also be phrased as the throne of the king, nights can be reformulated as of a night. This reformulation has been possible since the Middle English period (c. 1100-1500). Sometimes the original -s ending remains in the of construction, as in We'd walk to the store of evenings, but usually it is omitted. Using of with adverbial time phrases has not always been confined to vernacular speech, as is evidenced by its occurrence in sources ranging from the Wycliffite Bible (1382) to Theodore Dreiser's 1911 novel Jennie Gerhardt: "There was a place out in one corner of the veranda where he liked to sit of a spring or summer evening." · Using such of constructions reflects a long-standing tendency for English speakers to eliminate the case endings that were once attached to nouns to indicate their role as subject, object, or possessor. Nowadays, word order and the use of prepositional phrases usually determine a noun's role. Despite the trend to replace genitive -s with of phrases, marking adverbial phrases of time with of is fading out of American vernacular usage, probably because one can form these phrases without -s, as in at night.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
of
(ɒv; unstressed əv)prep
1. used with a verbal noun or gerund to link it with a following noun that is either the subject or the object of the verb embedded in the gerund: the breathing of a fine swimmer (subject); the breathing of clean air (object).
2. used to indicate possession, origin, or association: the house of my sister; to die of hunger.
3. used after words or phrases expressing quantities: a pint of milk.
4. constituted by, containing, or characterized by: a family of idiots; a rod of iron; a man of some depth.
5. used to indicate separation, as in time or space: within a mile of the town; within ten minutes of the beginning of the concert.
6. used to mark apposition: the city of Naples; a speech on the subject of archaeology.
7. about; concerning: speak to me of love.
8. used in passive constructions to indicate the agent: he was beloved of all.
9. informal used to indicate a day or part of a period of time when some activity habitually occurs: I go to the pub of an evening.
10. US before the hour of: a quarter of nine.
[Old English (as prep and adv); related to Old Norse af, Old High German aba, Latin ab, Greek apo]
Usage: See at off
OF
abbreviation for
(Languages) Old French (language)
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
of1
(ʌv, ɒv; unstressed əv or, esp. before consonants, ə)prep.
1. (used to indicate distance or direction from, separation, deprivation, etc.): within a mile of the house; robbed of one's money.
2. (used to indicate derivation or origin): the songs of Gershwin.
3. (used to indicate cause or reason): dead of hunger.
4. (used to indicate material, substance, or contents): a dress of silk; a book of poems.
5. (used to indicate apposition or identity): a genius of a pilot.
6. (used to indicate possession or association): property of the church.
7. (used to indicate inclusion in a number, class, or whole): one of us.
8. (used to indicate the object of the action noted by the preceding noun, verb, or adjective): the ringing of bells; to write of home; tired of working.
9. (used to indicate qualities or attributes): a woman of courage.
10. (used to indicate a specified time): They arrived of an evening.
11. before the hour of; until: ten minutes of one.
12. on the part of: It was nice of you to come.
13. set aside for or devoted to: a minute of prayer.
14. Archaic. by: consumed of worms.
[before 900; Middle English, Old English: of, off; c. German ab, Latin ab, Greek apó]
usage: of with an adjective after the adverb how or too is largely characteristic of informal speech: How long of a drive will it be? It's too hot of a day for tennis. This is often criticized in more formal situations. See also couple, off.
of2
(əv)auxiliary v. Nonstandard.
have: He should of asked me. Compare a4.
of-
var. of ob- (by assimilation) before f: offend.
OF
Old French.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
of
1. possession and other relationships
Of is used for showing possession. It can also be used to show other types of relationship between people or things.
It was the home of a schoolteacher.
She was the sister of the Duke of Urbino.
At the top of the hill Jackson paused for breath.
You can use of in front of a possessive pronoun such as mine, his, or theirs. You do this to show that someone is one of a group of people or things connected with a particular person. For example, instead of saying 'He is one of my friends', you can say 'He is a friend of mine.'
He's a very good friend of ours.
I talked to a colleague of yours recently.
You can use of like this in front of other possessives.
He's a friend of my mother's.
She was a cousin of Lorna Cook's.
The 's is sometimes omitted, especially in American English.
He's a close friend of the President.
Be Careful!
Don't use 'of' in front of a personal pronoun such as 'me', 'him', or 'them'. Don't say, for example, 'the sister of me'. Instead you use a possessive determiner such as my, his, or their.
My sister visited us last week.
He had his hands in his pockets.
Consider the future of our society.
You don't usually use 'of' in front of short noun phrases. Instead you use 's or the apostrophe '. For example, instead of saying 'the car of my friend', you say 'my friend's car'.
I can hear Raoul's voice.
This is Mr Duffield's sister.
We watched the President's speech.
The notice is in all our colleagues' offices.
See 's
2. descriptions
You can sometimes use of and a noun phrase to describe something, instead of using an adjective and a grading adverb. For example, instead of saying that something is 'very interesting', you can say that it is of great interest. This is a rather formal use.
It will be of great interest to you.
The result is of little importance.
When you use an adjective to comment on an action, you can put of and a pronoun after the adjective. The pronoun refers to the person who has performed the action. For example, you can say 'That was stupid of you'.
It was brave of them.
I'm sorry, that was silly of me.
3. works of art
Don't talk about a book 'of' a particular author, or a piece of music 'of' a particular composer. Instead, use by.
Have you read the latest book by Hilda Offen?
We'll hear some pieces by Mozart.
Similarly, you use by to indicate who painted a picture. A picture of a particular person shows that person in the picture.
We saw the famous painting by Rubens, The Straw Hat.
The museum owns a 16th century painting of Henry VIII.
4. places
You can talk about the capital of a country, state, or province.
We went to Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia.
However, don't talk about a town or village 'of' a particular country or area. Instead, use in.
He lives in a small town in Southern Ecuador.
My favourite town in Shropshire is Ludlow.
You also use in, rather than 'of', after superlatives. For example, you talk about 'the tallest building in Europe'. Don't say 'the tallest building of Europe'.
These are the biggest lizards in the world.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
of
preposition about, on, concerning, regarding, with respect to, as regards I was thinking of you the other day.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
بَعيد عَن، مِن، خِلالبِقَلَمتابِع لِحَرْفُ وَصْلِخاصَّة، يَخُص، لِ
zzeood
afefterforfrai
-aantaŭdadeel
vaille
ood
á, afafaf, meîaf, meîaleftir, gerîur/ritaîur af
･･･について･･･の
...의~에 대해서~의
aiznopirms
patriaci k
od
avimedpå
ของเกี่ยวกับแห่งในจำนวน
chứacủavề
of
[ɒv, əv] PREP1. (indicating possession) → de
the house of my uncle → la casa de mi tío
the love of God → el amor de Dios
a friend of mine → un amigo mío
it's no business of yours → aquí no te metas, no tienes que ver con esto
the house of my uncle → la casa de mi tío
the love of God → el amor de Dios
a friend of mine → un amigo mío
it's no business of yours → aquí no te metas, no tienes que ver con esto
2. (objective genitive) → a, hacia
hatred of injustice → odio a la injusticia
love of country → el amor a la patria
hatred of injustice → odio a la injusticia
love of country → el amor a la patria
3. (partitive etc) → de
a pound of flour → una libra de harina
how much of this do you need? → ¿cuánto necesitas de eso?
there were four of them → eran cuatro
all of them → todos ellos
of the 12, two were bad → de los 12, dos estaban pasados
you of all people ought to know → debieras saberlo más que nadie
most of all → sobre todo, más que nada
we're the best of friends → somos muy (buenos) amigos
the book of books → el libro de los libros
king of kings → rey de reyes
a pound of flour → una libra de harina
how much of this do you need? → ¿cuánto necesitas de eso?
there were four of them → eran cuatro
all of them → todos ellos
of the 12, two were bad → de los 12, dos estaban pasados
you of all people ought to know → debieras saberlo más que nadie
most of all → sobre todo, más que nada
we're the best of friends → somos muy (buenos) amigos
the book of books → el libro de los libros
king of kings → rey de reyes
4. (indicating cause) → por, de
out of fear → por temor
out of anger → de rabia
of itself → de por sí
of necessity → por necesidad
to die of pneumonia → morir de pulmonía
out of fear → por temor
out of anger → de rabia
of itself → de por sí
of necessity → por necesidad
to die of pneumonia → morir de pulmonía
5. (agent) beloved of all → querido de todos
it was rude of him to say that → fue de mala educación que dijese eso
it was nice of him to offer → fue muy amable ofreciéndose
that was very kind of you → fue muy amable de su parte
it was rude of him to say that → fue de mala educación que dijese eso
it was nice of him to offer → fue muy amable ofreciéndose
that was very kind of you → fue muy amable de su parte
7. (descriptive) → de
the City of New York → la ciudad de Nueva York
a boy of eight → un niño de ocho años
a man of great ability → un hombre de gran talento
that idiot of a minister → ese idiota de ministro
by the name of Green → llamado Green
a real palace of a house → una casa que es un verdadero palacio
a tragedy of her own making → una tragedia que ella misma había labrado, una tragedia de su propia cosecha
bright of eye → de ojos claros
hard of heart → duro de corazón
the City of New York → la ciudad de Nueva York
a boy of eight → un niño de ocho años
a man of great ability → un hombre de gran talento
that idiot of a minister → ese idiota de ministro
by the name of Green → llamado Green
a real palace of a house → una casa que es un verdadero palacio
a tragedy of her own making → una tragedia que ella misma había labrado, una tragedia de su propia cosecha
bright of eye → de ojos claros
hard of heart → duro de corazón
8. (= concerning) → de
what do you think of him? → ¿qué piensas de él?
what of it? → ¿y a ti qué (te) importa?, ¿y qué?
what do you think of him? → ¿qué piensas de él?
what of it? → ¿y a ti qué (te) importa?, ¿y qué?
10. (indicating separation in space or time) → de
south of Glasgow → al sur de Glasgow
it's a quarter of six (US) → son las seis menos cuarto, falta un cuarto para las seis (LAm)
south of Glasgow → al sur de Glasgow
it's a quarter of six (US) → son las seis menos cuarto, falta un cuarto para las seis (LAm)
11. (in time phrases) I go to the pub of an evening → al pub suelo ir por las noches
he died of a Friday (frm) → murió un viernes
it was fine of a morning → por la mañana hacía buen tiempo
he died of a Friday (frm) → murió un viernes
it was fine of a morning → por la mañana hacía buen tiempo
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
of
[ˈɒv](STRONG) [əv] prep (gen) → de
some photos of my holiday → des photos de mes vacances
That's very kind of you → C'est très gentil de votre part.
of the (when the French noun is masculine singular) → du
the end of the film → la fin du film; (when the French noun is plural) → des
the end of the holidays → la fin des vacances
a friend of ours → un de nos amis
a friend of mine → un de mes amis
a boy of ten → un garçon de dix ans
some photos of my holiday → des photos de mes vacances
That's very kind of you → C'est très gentil de votre part.
of the (when the French noun is masculine singular) → du
the end of the film → la fin du film; (when the French noun is plural) → des
the end of the holidays → la fin des vacances
a friend of ours → un de nos amis
a friend of mine → un de mes amis
a boy of ten → un garçon de dix ans
(partitive) → en
He's got four sisters. I've met two of them → Il a quatre sœurs. J'en ai rencontré deux.
Can I have half of that? → Je peux en avoir la moitié?
How much of this do you need? → Combien vous en faut-il?
How many guns? - There were three of them → Combien d'armes? - Il y en avait trois
He's got four sisters. I've met two of them → Il a quatre sœurs. J'en ai rencontré deux.
Can I have half of that? → Je peux en avoir la moitié?
How much of this do you need? → Combien vous en faut-il?
How many guns? - There were three of them → Combien d'armes? - Il y en avait trois
(numbers of people) there were three of them → ils étaient trois
three of us → trois d'entre nous
Three of us went → Trois d'entre nous y sont allés.
three of us → trois d'entre nous
Three of us went → Trois d'entre nous y sont allés.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
of
prep
(indicating possession or relation) → von (+dat), use of gen; the wife of the doctor → die Frau des Arztes, die Frau vom Arzt; a friend of ours → ein Freund/eine Freundin von uns; a painting of the Queen → ein Gemälde nt → der or von der Königin; a painting of the Queen’s (= belonging to her) → ein Gemälde (im Besitz) der Königin; (= painted by her) → ein Gemälde (von) der Königin; of it → davon; the first of May → der Erste Mai; the first of the month → der Erste (des Monats), der Monatserste; that damn dog of theirs (inf) → ihr verdammter Hund (inf); it is very kind of you → es ist sehr freundlich von Ihnen; it was nasty of him to say that → es war gemein von ihm, das zu sagen
(indicating separation in space or time) south of Paris → südlich von Paris; within a month of his death → einen Monat nach seinem Tod; a quarter of six (US) → Viertel vor sechs
(indicating cause) he died of poison/cancer → er starb an Gift/Krebs; he died of hunger → er verhungerte, er starb hungers (geh); it did not happen of itself (liter) → das ist nicht von selbst or von allein geschehen; it tastes of garlic → es schmeckt nach Knoblauch; she is proud of him → sie ist stolz auf ihn; I am ashamed of it → ich schäme mich dafür
(indicating deprivation, riddance) he was cured of the illness → er wurde von der Krankheit geheilt; trees bare of leaves → Bäume ohne Blätter; free of charge → kostenlos
(indicating quality, identity etc) house of ten rooms → Haus nt → mit zehn Zimmern; man of courage → mutiger Mensch, Mensch m → mit Mut; girl of ten → zehnjähriges Mädchen, Mädchen nt → von zehn Jahren; a matter of no importance → eine Sache ohne Bedeutung; the city of Paris → die Stadt Paris; person of swarthy complexion → dunkelhäutige Person; a town of narrow streets → eine Stadt mit engen Straßen; where is that rascal of a boy? → wo ist dieser verflixte Bengel?; that idiot of a waiter → dieser Idiot von Kellner
(objective genitive) fear of God → Gottesfurcht f; his love of his father → die Liebe zu seinem Vater; he is a leader of men → er hat die Fähigkeit, Menschen zu führen; great eaters of fruit → große Obstesser pl; writer of legal articles → Verfasser von juristischen Artikeln; love of money → Liebe zum Geld
(subjective genitive) love of God for man → Liebe Gottes zu den Menschen; affection of a mother → Mutterliebe f
(partitive genitive) the whole of the house → das ganze Haus; half of the house → das halbe Haus; how many of them do you want? → wie viele möchten Sie (davon)?; many of them came → viele (von ihnen) kamen; there were six of us → wir waren zu sechst, wir waren sechs; he is not one of us → er gehört nicht zu uns; one of the best → einer der Besten; he asked the six of us to lunch → er lud uns sechs zum Mittagessen ein; of the ten only one was absent → von den zehn fehlte nur einer; today of all days → ausgerechnet heute; you of all people ought to know → gerade Sie sollten das wissen; they are the best of friends → sie sind die besten Freunde; the best of teachers → der (aller)beste Lehrer; the bravest of the brave → der Mutigste der Mutigen; he drank of the wine (liter) → er trank von dem Weine (liter)
(= concerning) what do you think of him? → was halten Sie von ihm?; what has become of him? → was ist aus ihm geworden?; he warned us of the danger → er warnte uns vor der Gefahr; doctor of medicine → Doktor der Medizin; what of it? → ja und?
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
of
[ɒv,əv] prepa. (gen) → di
the house of my uncle → la casa di mio zio
the love of God → l'amore di Dio
a friend of mine → un mio amico
that was very kind of you → è stato molto carino da parte tua
free of charge → gratis
the 5th of July → il 5 luglio
loss of appetite → perdita dell'appetito
south of Glasgow → a sud di Glasgow
a quarter of 4 (Am) (time) → le 4 meno un quarto
the City of New York → la città di New York
a boy of 8 → un ragazzo di 8 anni
a man of great ability → un uomo di grande abilità
that idiot of a minister → quell'idiota di ministro
the house of my uncle → la casa di mio zio
the love of God → l'amore di Dio
a friend of mine → un mio amico
that was very kind of you → è stato molto carino da parte tua
free of charge → gratis
the 5th of July → il 5 luglio
loss of appetite → perdita dell'appetito
south of Glasgow → a sud di Glasgow
a quarter of 4 (Am) (time) → le 4 meno un quarto
the City of New York → la città di New York
a boy of 8 → un ragazzo di 8 anni
a man of great ability → un uomo di grande abilità
that idiot of a minister → quell'idiota di ministro
b. (cause) → di, per
of necessity → necessariamente, per necessità
to die of pneumonia → morire di polmonite
of necessity → necessariamente, per necessità
to die of pneumonia → morire di polmonite
e. (partitive) → di
how much of this do you need? → quanto te ne serve?
a kilo of flour → un chilo di farina
a handful of coins → una manciata di monete
there were four of us → eravamo in quattro
four of us went → quattro di noi sono andati
there were four of them (people) → erano in quattro (things) → ce n'erano quattro
how much of this do you need? → quanto te ne serve?
a kilo of flour → un chilo di farina
a handful of coins → una manciata di monete
there were four of us → eravamo in quattro
four of us went → quattro di noi sono andati
there were four of them (people) → erano in quattro (things) → ce n'erano quattro
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
of
(əv) preposition1. belonging to. a friend of mine.
2. away from (a place etc); after (a given time). within five miles of London; within a year of his death.
3. written etc by. the plays of Shakespeare.
4. belonging to or forming a group. He is one of my friends.
5. showing. a picture of my father.
6. made from; consisting of. a dress of silk; a collection of pictures.
7. used to show an amount, measurement of something. a gallon of petrol; five bags of coal.
8. about. an account of his work.
9. containing. a box of chocolates.
10. used to show a cause. She died of hunger.
11. used to show a loss or removal. She was robbed of her jewels.
12. used to show the connection between an action and its object. the smoking of a cigarette.
13. used to show character, qualities etc. a man of courage.
14. (American) (of time) a certain number of minutes before (the hour). It's ten minutes of three.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
of
→ حَرْفُ وَصْلِ, عَنْ, يعادل بناء الاضافة في اللغة العربية o, od, z af, på an, sagt man nicht auf Deutsch, von από, για, εξ de, en, sobre ilmaisee omistussuhdetta, liittymistä jhk ym., suom. yl genetiivirakenne de o, od a, di ･･･について, ･･･の ...의, ~에 대해서, ~의 aan, met, van av, med, på nie tłumaczy się na język polski, o, z de, em, sobre о, с av, med, på เกี่ยวกับ, ในจำนวน, ของ hakkında, nın, onun chứa, của, về ...的, 关于, 的Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
of
prep. de; [possession]
___ the → del, de la;
[telling time] → menos;
call at a quarter ___ six → Llame, llama a las seis ___ cuarto.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
- That's very kind of you
- We've reserved an apartment in the name of ... (US)
We've booked an apartment in the name of ... (UK) - It wasn't your right of way
- What is the soup of the day?
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009