such
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English such, swuch, swich, swilch, swulch, from Old English swelċ, from Proto-West Germanic *swalīk, from Proto-Germanic *swalīkaz (“so formed, so like”), equivalent to so + like. Cognate with Scots swilk, sic, sik (“such”), Saterland Frisian suk (“such”), West Frisian suk, sok (“such”), Dutch zulk (“such”), Low German sölk, sulk, sülk, suk (“such”), German solch (“such”), Danish slig (“like that, such”), Swedish slik (“such”), Icelandic slíkur (“such”). More at so, like.
Pronunciation
Determiner
such
- (demonstrative) Like this, that, these, those; used to make a comparison with something implied by context.
- I’ve never seen such clouds in the sky before. Such is life
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
- I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town. I was completely mystified at such an unusual proceeding.
- 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter II, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
- She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […] ; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid, […]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.
- 2013 June 1, “A better waterworks”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 5 (Technology Quarterly):
- An artificial kidney these days still means a refrigerator-sized dialysis machine. Such devices mimic the way real kidneys cleanse blood and eject impurities and surplus water as urine.
- (particularly used in formal documents) Any.
- the above address or at such other address as may be provided
- (degree) Used as an intensifier roughly equivalent to very much (of), quite or rather.
- The party was such a bore. "Bottomless" is such a lie.
- 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
- They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too. […].
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
- Mr. Cooke at once began a tirade against the residents of Asquith for permitting a sandy and generally disgraceful condition of the roads. So roundly did he vituperate the inn management in particular, and with such a loud flow of words, that I trembled lest he should be heard on the veranda.
- 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:
- Charles had not been employed above six months at Darracott Place, but he was not such a whopstraw as to make the least noise in the performance of his duties when his lordship was out of humour.
- (exclamative) Used with gradable noun phrases to form exclamations.
- Synonym: what
- Such hypocrisy!
- Such bouncy children you have.
- Why, I was absolutely spellbound. She sings with such passion!
- (obsolete) A certain; representing the object as already particularized in terms which are not mentioned.
- 1595, Samuel Daniel, “(please specify the folio number)”, in The First Fowre Bookes of the Ciuile Wars between the Two Houses of Lancaster and Yorke, London: […] P[eter] Short for Simon Waterson, →OCLC:
- In rushed one and tells him such a knight / Is new arrived.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, James 4:13:
- To-day or to-morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year.
Usage notes
See notes for exclamative what.
Translations
used to make a comparison with something implied by context
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used as an intensifier
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Pronoun
such
- A person, a thing, people, or things like the one or ones already mentioned.
- 1804, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, The Tatler, C. Whittingham, John Sharpe, page 315:
- These oraculous proficients are day and night employed in deep searches for the direction of such as run astray after their lost goods : but at present they are more particularly serviceable to their country in foretelling the fate of such as have chances in the public lottery.
- 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
- 'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.
- 2000, Terry Goodkind, Faith of the Fallen, →ISBN, page 238:
- Some are just no-good locals—drunks and such—who’d just as soon beg or steal as work.
- 1804, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, The Tatler, C. Whittingham, John Sharpe, page 315:
Translations
previously described
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Noun
such (plural suches)
- (philosophy) Something being indicated that is similar to something else.
Related terms
References
- Stanley, Oma (1937) “I. Vowel Sounds in Stressed Syllables”, in The Speech of East Texas (American Speech: Reprints and Monographs; 2), New York: Columbia University Press, , →ISBN, § 12, page 27.