Of (?), prep. [AS.
of of, from, off; akin to D. & OS. af, G. ab off, OHG. aba from, away, Icel., Dan., Sw., & Goth. af, L. ab, Gr. &?;, Skr. apa.
Cf. Off, A- (2),
Ab-, After, Epi-.]
In a general sense, from, or out from; proceeding from; belonging to; relating to; concerning; -- used in a variety
of applications; as:
1. Denoting that from which anything proceeds;
indicating origin, source,
descent, and the like; as,
he is of
a race of
kings; he is of noble blood.
That holy thing which shall be born
of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Luke i. 35. I have received of the Lord that
which also I delivered unto you.
1 Cor. xi.
23. 2. Denoting possession or ownership, or the relation of subject to
attribute; as, the apartment of the consul: the power of the king; a man of courage; the gate of heaven. "Poor of spirit."
Macaulay.
3. Denoting the material of which anything is composed, or that which it
contains; as, a throne of gold; a sword
of steel; a wreath of mist; a cup of water.
4. Denoting part of an aggregate or whole; belonging to a number or quantity mentioned; out of; from
amongst; as, of this little he had some to spare; some of the mines were unproductive; most of the company.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lam.
iii. 22. It is a duty to communicate of those blessings we have received.
Franklin. 5.
Denoting that by which a person or thing is actuated or impelled; also, the source of
a purpose or action; as,
they went of their own will; no body can move
of itself; he did it of necessity.
For it was of the Lord to harden their
hearts.
Josh. xi. 20. 6.
Denoting reference to
a thing; about; concerning; relating
to; as, to boast of one's achievements.
Knew you of this fair work?
Shak. 7. Denoting nearness or distance, either in space or time; from; as, within a league of the town; within an hour of the appointed time.
8. Denoting identity or equivalence; -- used with a name or appellation, and equivalent to the relation of apposition; as, the continent of America; the city of Rome; the Island of Cuba.
9. Denoting
the agent, or person by
whom, or thing by which, anything is, or is done; by.
And told to her of
[by] some.
Chaucer. He taught in their synagogues, being
glorified of all.
Luke iv.
15. [Jesus] being forty days tempted of the devil.
Luke iv.
1, 2. &fist; The use of the word in this
sense, as applied to persons, is nearly obsolete.
10. Denoting relation to place or time; belonging to, or connected with; as, men
of Athens; the people of the Middle Ages; in the days of Herod.
11.
Denoting passage from
one state to another; from. [Obs.] "O miserable of happy." Milton.
12.
During; in the course of.
Not be seen to wink of all the day.
Shak. My custom always of the afternoon.
Shak. &fist; Of may be
used in a subjective or an objective sense. "The love of God" may mean,
our love for God, or God's love for us.
&fist; From is the primary sense of this preposition; a sense retained in off, the same word differently written for distinction. But this radical sense disappears in most of its application; as, a man of genius; a man of rare endowments; a fossil of a red color, or of an hexagonal figure; he lost all hope of relief; an affair of the cabinet; he is a man of decayed fortune; what is the price of corn? In these and similar phrases, of
denotes property or possession, or a relation of
some sort involving connection. These
applications, however all
proceeded from the same primary sense. That which proceeds from, or is
produced by, a person or thing, either has had, or still has, a close connection with the same; and hence the word was applied to cases of mere
connection, not involving
at all the idea of separation.
Of consequence, of importance, value, or influence. -- Of late, recently; in time not long
past. -- Of old, formerly; in time long
past. -- Of one's self,
by one's self; without help or prompting;
spontaneously.
Why, knows not Montague, that of itself
England is safe, if true within itself?
Shak.
Hear it pronounced