Indicating removal, absence or separation, with the action indicated by a transitive verb and the quality or substance by a grammatical object. [from the 10th c.]
Indicating removal, absence or separation, with resulting state indicated by an adjective. [from the 10th c.]
(obsolete) Indicating removal, absence or separation, construed with an intransitive verb. [14th-19th c.]
Expressing origin.
Indicating an ancestral source or origin of descent. [from the 9th c.]
Indicating a (non-physical) source of action or emotion; introducing a cause, instigation; from, out of, as an expression of. [from the 9th c.]
Following an intransitive verb: indicating the source or cause of the verb. [from the 10th c.]
Following an adjective, indicating the subject or cause of the adjective. [from the 13th c.]
Expressing agency.
Following a passive verb to indicate the agent (for most verbs, now usually expressed with by). [from the 9th c.]
Used to introduce the "subjective genitive"; following a noun to form the head of a postmodifyingnoun phrase. [from the 13th c.]
Following an adjective, used to indicate the agent of something described by the adjective. [from the 16th c.]
Expressing composition, substance.
After a verb expressing construction, making etc., used to indicate the material or substance used. [from the 9th c.]
Directly following a noun, used to indicate the material from which it is made. [from the 10th c.]
Indicating the composition of a given collective or quantitative noun. [from the 12th c.]
Used to link a given class of things with a specific example of that class. [from the 12th c.]
Linking two nouns in near-apposition, with the first qualifying the second; "which is also". [from the 14th c.]
Introducing subject matter.
Linking an intransitive verb, or a transitive verb and its subject (especially verbs to do with thinking, feeling, expressing etc.), with its subject-matter: concerning, with regard to. [from the 10th c.]
Following a noun (now chiefly nouns of knowledge, communication etc.), to introduce its subject matter; about, concerning. [from the 12th c.]
Following an adjective, to introduce its subject matter. [from the 15th c.]
Having partitive effect.
Following a number or other quantitive word: introducing the whole for which is indicated only the specified part or segment; "from among". [from the 9th c.]
Following a noun indicating a given part. [from the 9th c.]
(literary) With preceding partitive word assumed, or as a predicate after to be: some, an amount of, one of. [from the 9th c.]
Linking to a genitive noun or possessive pronoun, with partitive effect (though now often merged with possessive senses, below). [from the 13th c.]
Expressing possession.
Belonging to, existing in, or taking place in a given location, place or time. Compare "origin" senses, above. [from the 9th c.]
Belonging to (a place) through having title, ownership or control over it. [from the 9th c.]
Belonging to (someone or something) as something they possess or have as a characteristic; the "possessive genitive". (With abstract nouns, this intersects with the subjective genitive, above under "agency" senses.) [from the 13th c.]
Forming the "objective genitive".
Following an agent noun, verbal noun or noun of action. [from the 12th c.]
Expressing qualities or characteristics.
(literary) Linking an adjective with a noun or noun phrase to form a quasi-adverbial qualifier; in respect of, as regards. [from the 13th c.]
(chiefly regional)During the course of (a set period of time, day of the week etc.), now specifically with implied repetition or regularity. [from the 9th c.]
(Britain dialectal)For (a given length of time), chiefly in negative constructions. [from the 13th c.]
Used after a noun to indicate duration of a state, activity etc. [from the 18th c.]
Verb
(usually in modal perfect constructions)Eye dialect spelling of have or ’ve, chiefly in depictions of colloquial speech.
