“all” – English explanatory dictionary

adj, pron 1. everything or everyone ○ They all or All of them like coffee. ○ All trains stop at Clapham Junction. ○ Did you pick all (of.) the tomatoes? ○ Where are all the children? □ let’s sing the song all together everyone should sing at the same time 2. □ fifteen all (in tennis) fifteen points each ■ adv 1. completely ○ The ground was all white after the snow fell. ○ I forgot all about her birthday. 2. □ all by yourself all alone ○ You can’t do it all by yourself. ○ I’m all by myself this evening – my girlfriend’s gone out. ○ He drove the lorry all by himself. § all along right from the beginning § all but almost § all in (informal.)1. tired out 2. including everything § all over 1. everywhere over something 2. finished 3. everywhere

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. 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. 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.

adv.
1. Wholly; completely; altogether; entirely; quite; very; as all bedewed; my friend is all for amusement. ´And cheeks all pale.´ Byron. 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.

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.” 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. 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.

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.”