Found 2 hits - Term: all the better, Database: *, Strategy: prefix
- [1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
all \all\, adv.
1. wholly; completely; altogether; entirely; quite; very; as,
all bedewed; my friend is all for amusement. "and cheeks
all pale." --byron.
1913 webster
note: in the ancient phrases, all too dear, all too much, all
so long, etc., this word retains its appropriate sense
or becomes intensive.
1913 webster
2. even; just. often a mere intensive adjunct. obs. or
poet.
1913 webster
all as his straying flock he fed. --spenser.
1913 webster
a damsel lay deploring
all on a rock reclined. --gay.
1913 webster
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.
1913 webster
see also:
all to all-to all along along all and some all but
all hollow all one all over all the better all the same
all
- [2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
better \bet"ter\, a.; compar. of good. oe. betere, bettre, and
as adv. bet, as. betera, adj., and bet, adv.; akin to icel.
betri, adj., betr, adv., goth. batiza, adj., ohg. bezziro,
adj., baz, adv., g. besser, adj. and adv., bass, adv., e.
boot, and prob. to skr. bhadra excellent. see boot
advantage, and cf. best, batful.
1. having good qualities in a greater degree than another;
as, a better man; a better physician; a better house; a
better air.
1913 webster
could make the worse appear
the better reason. --milton.
1913 webster
2. preferable in regard to rank, value, use, fitness,
acceptableness, safety, or in any other respect.
1913 webster
to obey is better than sacrifice. --1 sam. xv.
22.
1913 webster
it is better to trust in the lord than to put
confidence in princes. --ps. cxviii.
9.
1913 webster
3. greater in amount; larger; more.
1913 webster
4. improved in health; less affected with disease; as, the
patient is better.
1913 webster
5. more advanced; more perfect; as, upon better acquaintance;
a better knowledge of the subject.
1913 webster
all the better. see under all, adv.
better half, an expression used to designate one's wife.
1913 webster
my dear, my better half said he,
i find i must now leave thee. --sir p.
sidney.
1913 webster
to be better off, to be in a better condition.
had better. see under had.
note: the phrase had better, followed by an infinitive
without to, is idiomatic. the earliest form of
construction was "were better" with a dative; as, "him
were better go beside." --gower. i. e., it would be
better for him, etc. at length the nominative i, he,
they, etc. supplanted the dative and had took the
place of were. thus we have the construction now used.
1913 webster
by all that's holy, he had better starve
than but once think this place becomes thee not.
--shak.
1913 webster
see also:
boot best batful all the better all better half
to be better off had better had
Results 1 - 10 of 14 found about all the better: All
>> A Words
All, definition of term: All
all_pag1.html All Ready
>> A Words
All Ready, definition of term: All Ready
all+ready_pag1.html All Right
>> A Words
All Right, definition of term: All Right
all+right_pag1.html All That
>> A Words
All That, definition of term: All That
all+that_pag1.html All Round
>> A Words
All Round, definition of term: All Round
all+round_pag1.html All Hands
>> A Words
All Hands, definition of term: All Hands
all+hands_pag1.html All Along
>> A Words
All Along, definition of term: All Along
all+along_pag1.html All But
>> A Words
All But, definition of term: All But
all+but_pag1.html Above All
>> A Words
Above All, definition of term: Above All
above+all_pag1.html After All
>> A Words
After All, definition of term: After All
after+all_pag1.html
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