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its. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
its, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
its in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
its you have here. The definition of the word
its will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
its, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Alternative forms
- it's (possessive form, now nonstandard)
Etymology
Equivalent to it + -s. From the earlier form it's (it + -'s), which is now considered nonstandard. Began to displace his as the possessive of the neuter pronoun in the Middle English period; had fully displaced it by the 1700s.
Pronunciation
Determiner
its
- Belonging to it.
1751, G. Burnett, translated by Thomas More, Utopia:since I have been at the Pains to write it, if he consents to it's being published I will follow my Friend's Advice, and chiefly yours.
- 1763, Authorized King James Version of the Bible, Oxford Standard Text, Leviticus 25:5:
- That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. (originally "of it own accord" in the 1611 first edition)
1813, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice:They descended the hill, crossed the bridge, and drove to the door; and, while examining the nearer aspect of the house, all her apprehensions of meeting its owner returned.
1989 June 5, Jasper Becker, John Gittings, The Guardian:The Chinese government is at war with its own people.
Derived terms
Translations
belonging to it
- American Sign Language: FlatB@Chesthigh-FingerUp
- Azerbaijani: onunku
- Belarusian: яго́ m or n (jahó), яго́ны m (jahóny) (common, colloquial), яе́ f (jajé), свой (svoj) (when referring to the subject of the sentence)
- Bulgarian: не́гов (négov), не́ин (bg) (néin)
- Catalan: seu (ca) m
- Czech: jeho (cs)
- Danish: dens c, dets n
- Dutch: zijn (nl) m or n, haar (nl) f
- Esperanto: ĝia (eo), ties (eo)
- Finnish: sen (fi)
- French: son (fr) m, sa (fr) f, ses (fr) pl
- Georgian: მისი (misi), თავისი (tavisi)
- German: sein (de) m or n, ihr (de) f
- Gothic: 𐍃𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (seins)
- Greek:
- Ancient: αὐτοῦ m (autoû), αὐτῆς f (autês), αὐτοῦ n (autoû)
- Greenlandic: uuma
- Hawaiian: kona, kāna
- Hungarian: -a (hu), -e (hu), -ja, -je
- Icelandic: þess (is) n
- Ido: olua (io)
- Interlingua: su
- Italian: suo (it)
- Kalmyk: энүнә (enünä), терүнә (terünä)
- Latin: eius (la) m or f or n (non-reflexive), suī (la) m or n (reflexive), suae f (reflexive)
- Norwegian: dens, dets
- Old English: his (ang) m or n, hire (ang) f
- Portuguese: seu (pt), sua (pt), dele (pt) m, dela (pt) f
- Russian: его́ (ru) m or n (jevó), её (ru) f (jejó), свой (ru) (svoj) (when referring to the subject of the sentence)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: њѐгов
- Roman: njègov
- Slovene: njegóv (sl)
- Sorbian:
- Lower Sorbian: jogo
- Spanish: su (es) sg, sus (es) pl
- Swedish: dess (sv)
- Turkish: onun (tr)
- Ukrainian: його́ (uk) m or n (johó), її́ (uk) f (jijí), свій (uk) (svij) (when referring to the subject of the sentence)
- Volapük: onik (vo), ona
- Zulu: possessive concord + -khe class 1, -wo class 3, -lo class 5, -so class 7, -yo class 9, -lo class 11, -bo class 14, -kho class 15/17
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Contraction
its
- Misspelling of it's.
Pronoun
its
- The one (or ones) belonging to it.
- 1645, Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton, Letter to Ferdinando Fairfax, 6 February 1645:
- both Houses have resolved to rob the North of a good friend of its and yours.
1917, Charles Henry Taylor, History of the Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, volume 2, page 1259:...the Board of Trade of Chicago can at least feel that it has played its part manfully and patriotically, and that no act of its has stood in the way of National victory.
Usage notes
- In practice, its is commonly used as a determiner before a noun, but its use as a solo pronoun is generally avoided.
- Its is now distinguished from it's (a contraction of "it is" or "it has"). For example, It's going to rain is equivalent to It is going to rain, and It's been raining for hours is equivalent to It has been raining for hours. However, the two are commonly confused, and using its where there should be it's (or vice versa) is a common mistake in written English.
- Like it, its is usually avoided when referring to humans. Its is commonly used with animals when the gender is unknown or unimportant. With humans, person is used for a person whose gender is unknown or to refer to something that could be possessed by either gender, body or corpse is often used to refer to a dead person, and figure, shape, and silhouette are often used to refer to what someone sees as a person but can't see clearly enough to determine an identity or gender, e.g. The figure moved behind a bush, but Josh could see its shadow from the moonlight.
Quotations
Translations
that which belongs to it
- American Sign Language: FlatB@Chesthigh-FingerUp
- Bulgarian: не́гов (négov), не́ин (bg) (néin)
- Catalan: seu (ca)
- Czech: jeho (cs)
- Danish: dens c, dets n
- Dutch: (please verify) het ... ervan , (please verify) de zijne
- Esperanto: ĝia (eo)
- Finnish: sen (fi)
- French: le sien (fr) m, la sienne (fr) f, les siens (fr) m pl, les siennes (fr) f pl
- German: sein (de) m, ihr (de) f
- Greek: δικός του (el) m (dikós tou), δικιά του f (dikiá tou), δική του (el) f (dikí tou), δικό του (el) n (dikó tou), δικοί του (el) m pl (dikoí tou), δικές του (el) f pl (dikés tou), δικά του (el) n pl (diká tou)
- Hungarian: övé (hu), azé (hu)
- Ido: olua (io)
- Irish: a (ga)
- Latin: suus (la), eius (la), huius (la), illius
- Polish: jego (pl), jej (pl), swój (pl), ów (pl)
- Portuguese: seu (pt), dele (pt) m, dela (pt) f
- Russian: его́ (ru) m or n (jevó), её (ru) f (jejó), свой (ru) (svoj) (when referring to the subject of the sentence)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: њѐгов
- Roman: njègov
- Slovene: njegóv (sl)
- Spanish: suyo (es)
- Swedish: dess (sv)
- Turkish: onun (tr)
- Tuvan: ооңуу (ooñuu)
- Yakut: киниэнэ (kiniene)
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Noun
its
- plural of it
See also
References
Anagrams
- 'tis, -ist, IST, Ist, SIT, STI, Sit, TIS, TIs, is't, ist, sit, tis
Kalasha
Noun
its
- Alternative spelling of ič̣