Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word I. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word I, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say I in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word I you have here. The definition of the word I will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofI, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
[…]It ill beſeemes a knight of gentle ſort, / Such as ye haue him boaſted, to beguyle / A ſimple maide, and worke ſo hainous tort, / In ſhame of knighthood, as I largely can report.
Sweet Baſſanio, My ſhips haue all miſcarried, my Creditors grow cruell, my eſtate is very low: my bond to the Iew is forfet, and ſince in paying it, it is impoſſible I ſhould liue, all debts are cleered betweene you and I if I might but ſee you at my death.
Step inside, see the Devil in I You'll realize I'm not your Devil anymore
Usage notes
The word I is always capitalised in written English. Other forms of the pronoun, such as me and my, follow regular English capitalisation rules.
I is the subject (nominative) form, as opposed to me, which is the objective (accusative and dative) form. Me is also used emphatically, like French moi. In some cases there are differing views about which is preferred. For example, the traditional rule followed by some speakers is to use I as the complement of the copula (It is I), but it is now more usual to choose me in this context (It's me).
When used in lists, it is often thought better to refer to oneself last. Thus it is more natural to say John and I than I and John. In such lists, the traditional rule is to use the same case form one would choose if there were only one pronoun. Thus, since we say I am happy, we say John and I are happy, but since we say Jenny saw me, so we say Jenny saw John and me. However, one frequently hears John and me are happy, which is traditionally seen as a case error. Similarly, probably as a hypercorrected reaction to this, one can occasionally hear phrases like Jenny saw John and I.
a.1733, Thomas Boston, edited by [Thomas Boston the younger], Sermons and Discourses on Several Important Subjects in Divinity., volume I, Edinburgh: William Gray,, published 1753, page 333:
They are called men, becauſe each of them poſſeſſeth the whole man, though not wholly. There are by their means two I’s in every believer, Rom. vii. 15. For that which I do, I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. There is not one part of the man that is in Chriſt, but grace has a part of it, and corruption has a part of it: as in the twilight there is light over all, and darkneſs over all too, the darkneſs being mixed in every part with the light. So my renewed part is I, a man having an underſtanding enlightened, a will renewed, affections ſpiritualized, uſing my body conform: but my unrenewed part is I too, having an underſtanding darkened, a will rebellious, affections corrupted, and uſing my body accordingly.
In other words, he said: “I have two natures. I have a flesh nature, an outside nature, and that keeps sinning; and then I have another nature—an inside, a spiritual nature—and that does not like sinning; and with my heart-power, my conscience-power, my love-power, with the power of the divine element that is in me, I look and see what this body outside, which clothes me, is trying to do. And here are two I’s that are fighting. The inside I is arrayed against the outside I; and the outside has the advantage.”
1916, S. A. Steel, “Down the James Long Ago—I”, in Christian Advocate, volume 77, page 1094, column 1:
Am I a double personality? Are there two “I’s” in my anatomy—one a conscious “I,” giving attention to what I am doing, and another unconscious “I,” giving attention to something entirely different?
1962, Arthur Osborne, editor, The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi in His Own Words, London: Rider & Company, published 1975, page 122:
B. (smiling): Have you come to examine me? You must say who you are. / D.: However much I may try, I do not seem to catch the ‘I’. It is not even clearly discernible. / B.: Who is it that says that the ‘I’ is not discernible? Are there two ‘I’s in you, that one is not discernible to the other?
2011, Michael Gluckman, Making Your Wisdom Come Alive: A Guide to the Source of Your Wisdom and Joy, Light Up Your Life, →ISBN:
Who is it that says that ‘I’ is not perceptible? Is there an ignorant ‘I’ and an elusive ‘I’? Are there two ‘I’s in the same person? It is the mind that says that ‘I’ is not perceptible. Where is that mind from? Know the mind. You will find it a myth. / We all feel that there is only one I; not two, one ignorant of the other.
/i/ is from Middle High German i in open syllables; in Ripuarian from ī before velars.
/iː/ is from ī before non-velars in Ripuarian; from ē in Ripuarian and northern Moselle Franconian; from ie, üe in southern Moselle Franconian; from æ (œ) in some dialects.
A letter in the German-based alphabet of Central Franconian.
A letter in the Dutch-based alphabet of Central Franconian.
Usage notes
In the German-based spelling, /e/ is usually represented by E (see there).
Use of the digraph IE
In the German-based spelling, long i is generally written ie except when the German cognate has /iː/ as well and spells it i. Either spelling may be used in the following cases:
when the German cognate has only one vowel letter: Kies, Kis (German Käse);
In the Dutch-based spelling, both short /i/ and long /iː/ are generally written ie except when the Dutch cognate has /i/ and spells it i. The short vowel is optionally indicated in open syllables by doubling the following consonant: piemmele, piemele.
2014, Diverse forfattere, Fire uger blev til fire år - og andre beretninger, Lindhardt og Ringhof →ISBN
Og så er der forresten lidt mere med det samme: I må love os een ting. mor og far, I må ikke efterligne os unge! — For gør I det, ja, så kommer I til at se så morsomme ud. — I må ikke prøve på at løbe fra jeres alder, for det kan I alligevel ikke.
And by the way, there's something else: You must promise us one thing, mum and dad, you may not imitate us young! — For if you do, you will look so funny. — you may not try to run way from your age, for you can't do that anyway.
1981, Mogens Wolstrup, Vild hyben: danske forfattere skriver om jalousi
Men det er ikke jeres skyld, siger Ditte. I er unge og kloge. I er grimme og fantastisk smukke. I har modet! I er på rette vej med jeres show. Jeg føler med jeres oprør, og måske derfor kunne jeg ikke klare mere. Jeres hud er glat, I er startet i tide.
But it is not your fault, Ditte says. You are young and intelligent. You are ugly and amazingly beautiful. You have the courage! You are on the right path with your show. I feel with your rebellion, and perhaps for that reason, I couldn't take any more. Your skin is smooth, you started in time.
2011, Per Ullidtz, Absalons Europa, BoD – Books on Demand →ISBN, page 229
Og lidt senere ”I har hørt at det er sagt: øje for øje og tand for tand. Men jeg siger jer, at I må ikke sætte jer imod det onde; men dersom nogen giver dig et slag på din højre kind, da vend ham også den anden til! ...
And a little later ”you have heard it said: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, you may not resist evil; but if anyone hits you on the right cheek, turn the other towards ! ...
The Finnish orthography using the Latin script was based on those of Swedish, German and Latin, and was first used in the mid-16th century. No earlier script is known. See the Wikipedia article on Finnish for more information, and I for information on the development of the glyph itself.
The Kashubian orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the Kashubian alphabet article on Wikipedia for more, and I for development of the glyph itself.
A letter in the Latin alphabet, representing the consonant /j/ and the vowels /i/ and /iː/
Usage notes
Historical Latin texts did not distinguish the consonantal and vocalic readings of this letter orthographically. In modern texts and editions of older texts, the vowels are typically written ⟨I⟩ and ⟨Ī⟩ to distinguish them, and /j/ is sometimes written ⟨j⟩. For example, iūdex may be spelled jūdex.
Proposed in 1908 as part of the new Latvian spelling by the scientific commission headed by K. Mīlenbahs, which was accepted and began to be taught in schools in 1909. Prior to that, Latvian had been written in German Fraktur, and sporadically in Cyrillic.
The loss of /t͡ʃ/ at first occurs in unstressed positions when the following word begins with a consonant. The pronunciation /iː/ results from restressing the unstressed pronunciation.
If ȝe hadden be of þe woꝛld .· þe woꝛld ſchulde loue þat þing þat was his / but foꝛ ȝe ben not of þe woꝛld · but I chees ȝou fro þe woꝛld .· þerfoꝛ þe woꝛld hatiþ ȝou
If you had been of the world, the world would love that which is its ; so the world hates you, because you aren't of the world. Instead I picked you from the world.
Usage notes
Capitalized since 13th century to mark it as a distinct word and prevent misreading.
1Used preconsonantally or before h. 2Early or dialectal. 3Dual pronouns are only sporadically found in Early Middle English; after that, they are replaced by plural forms. There are no third-person dual forms in Middle English. 4Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.
The Polish orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the history of Polish orthography article on Wikipedia for more, and I for development of the glyph itself.
At the ends of words (except verb infinitives, and those ending in a consonant cluster ending in l or r), the letter palatalizes the previous syllable and is "whispered": /ʲ/
The ninth letter of the Scottish Gaelic alphabet, written in the Latin script.It is preceded by h and followed by l. Its traditional name is iodh(“yew”).
The Silesian orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the Silesian language article on Wikipedia for more, and I for development of the glyph itself.
From Gaj's Latin alphabet I, from Czech alphabet I, from Latin I, from the Etruscan letter 𐌉(i, “i”), from the Ancient Greek letter Ι(I, iota), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤉(y, yod), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓂝.
Lindström, Fredrik (2010) “Svårt att gissa arslets grundform [Hard to guess the lemma of arslet]”, in Språktidningen (in Swedish), number 5, retrieved 14 July 2020
Tagalog
Etymology
Borrowed from SpanishI. Each pronunciation has a different source:
Filipino alphabet pronunciation is influenced by EnglishI.
Abakada alphabet pronunciation is influenced by Baybayin character ᜁ(i).
R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “I”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies