pers. and refl. pron. Forms: α. 1–2 ús, 3–5 (9 dial.) ous, 4–5 ows; 3– us (3 Orm., 7 uss, 4 os, 6 Sc. usz), 3–7 vs (5 vsse, 7 vss), 4 vus, 4–6, Sc. 7 ws (6 Sc. wsz), 9 north. dial. uz. β. 2–5, 9 north. dial. hus (5 huse), 9 north. dial. and Sc. huz. See also ’s 3. Common Teutonic: OE. ús, OFris. ûs (WFris. ús, NFris. üüs), OS. (MLG.) ûs (LG. ûs, üs), ON. and Icel. oss (Norw., Sw., Da. os); these forms have lost an n which appears in MDu. (and Du.) ons, OHG. (MHG. and G.) uns, Goth. uns (and unsis); the stem represents the weak grade of Indo-Eur. *nes, retained in Skr. nas.] The objective case of the prononn WE, repr. the OE. accusative and dative.
I. With reference to two or more persons.
1. a. Accusative, as direct object of a verb.
c. 825. Vesp. Ps. xliii. 26. Aris dryhten ʓefultume us & ʓefrea us.
c. 975. Rushw. Gosp., Matt. vi. 13. Ne ʓelaet us ʓelaede in costnungae ah ʓelese us of yfle.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 53. Þe feder, and þe sune,… iscilde us þer wið.
c. 1205. Lay., 26490. Nimeð heom, slæh heom: Iscend heo us habbeoð.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 1886. Vor godes loue bring us of þis wrechede.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 12622. Leue sun, qui has þou gloppend hus?
c. 1315. Shoreham, I. 711. Hys blod he let os drynke.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 11785. Auaunce now boþe þy self & ous.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Prol., 748. To the soper sette he vs anon And serued vs with vitaille.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., xx. 189. Here is oone of his men That thus vnwynly gars vs wake.
1480. Cely Papers (Camden), 43. Jhesu kepe you and huse.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 6. Vnto the tyme it hath brought vs to our iourneys ende.
1581. Campion, in R. Simpson, Life (1907), 435. In condemning us you condemn all your own ancestors.
1632. Milton, L’Allegro, 117. Towred Cities please us then.
1665. Sir T. Herbert, Trav. (1677), 174. The Sultan … ushered us to our lodging.
1712. Steele, Spect., No. 374, ¶ 1. If our past Actions reproach us.
1766. Goldsm., Vicar, iv. These rufflings … will only make us hated.
1802. Wordsw., Milton, 7. We are selfish men; Oh! raise us up.
1877. Lowell, Bankside, 7. The same shadows on the water lean, Outlasting us.
b. Dative, as indirect object, = To us.
α. c. 825. Vesp. Ps. iv. 6. Hwelc oteaweð us god?
c. 888. K. Ælfred, Boeth., xix. § 1. Behealde he … hu neara þære eorðan stede is, þeah heo us rum þince.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Hom., II. 124. Us ʓedafenað þæt we Godes swingle … ondrædan.
c. 1055. Byrhtferth’s Handboc, in Anglia, VIII. 306. Us com nu to mode hu se arwurða abbud [etc.].
c. 1200. Ormin, Ded. 175. Off all þiss god uss brinngeþþ word.
c. 1205. Lay., 25577. Lauer sæi us þi sweuen. Ibid. (c. 1275), 902. Þis vs þincheþ wel idon.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 1081. Gret vilte þou askest ous.
a. 1310. in Wright, Lyric P., xxv. 73. Jesu, my soule bidde y the, Everemore wel us be.
1340–70. Alex. & Dind., 447. Þanne is vs grayþed no graue in þe grounde doluen.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Prol., 785. Vs thoughte it was noght worth to make it wys. Ibid. (c. 1386), Can. Yeom. Prol. & T., 393. Vs moste putte oure good in auenture.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. I. 175. We myȝte be lordes aloft and lyue as vs luste.
c. 1440. Pallad. on Husb., I. 8. Tilynge is vs to write of euery londe.
c. 1450. Mirk’s Festial, I. 1. God … zif vs all his blessyng.
1508. Dunbar, Tua Mariit Wemen, 153. Confese ws the treuth.
1535. Coverdale, 1 Chron. xiii. 19. It mighte cost vs oure neckes.
1611. Donne, Anat. World, 21. Enough is us to praise them.
1659. Mrq. Newcastle, in Nicholas Papers (Camden), IV. 125. God sende vss a good meetinge att Whit Hall.
1668. Marvell, Corr., Wks. (Grosart), II. 258. Lord Bellasis writ the letter … and red us it over.
a. 1700. in Cath. Rec. Soc. Publ., VIII. 25. This year the widdow Belt gave us 12 Gennis.
1743. Bulkeley & Cummins, Voy. S. Seas, 20. It had almost cost us our lives.
1819. Shelley, Cenci, III. i. 328. Give us clothes, father! Give us better food!
1847. Tennyson, Princess, IV. 396. Unless you send us back Our son, on the instant, whole.
β. a. 1175. Cott. Hom., 223. God hus forbead þes trowes westm.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 114. For to do man knaw hir kyn, Þat hus scli wirschip cum to wyn.
c. 1300. Havelok, 1217. Wel is hus we sen þe on lyue.
a. 1400–50. Wars Alexander, 3518. So sall I gete hus ay þe gree.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., iii. 46. Oyle of mercy he hus hight.
1828. Carr, Craven Gloss., s.v. Huz, Shoe gavv huz ten words for yan.
c. As object of a prep. (or other governing word or phrase).
c. 825. Vesp. Ps. iv. 7. ʓetacnad is ofer us leht ondwlitan ðines dryhten.
971. Blickling Hom., 115. And æʓhwonon þes middanʓeard flyhþ from us mid mycelre biternesse.
c. 1100. O. E. Chron. (MS. D), an. 1052. Betwyx us sylfum to mycclum forwyrde.
a. 1175. Cott. Hom., 229. He com to us, þat he wolde for hus deað þrowian.
c. 1205. Lay., 25288. Þu art hæxt ouer us.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 4533. Aiþer of hus a drem we sau.
c. 1315. Shoreham, IV. 124. No longeþ noþyng to ous.
1390. Gower, Conf., I. 1. Good is that we also … among ous hiere Do wryte of newe som matiere.
1405. Lay Folks Mass Bk., Bid. Prayer, ii. 66. At sche pray for hus.
c. 1475. Golagros & Gaw., 323. I rede we cast ws betuene, How best is to done.
1508. Dunbar, Gold. Targe, 197. The bataill broucht on bordour hard vs by.
1584. Allen, in Cath. Rec. Soc. Publ., V. 116. The whole worlde did runne from Christe … after Edwarde the vjth with us into Zwynglianisme.
1659. Nicholas Papers (Camden), IV. 95. 3 Spanish men of warre … came vp with vs and fired at vs.
1712. Steele, Spect., No. 374, ¶ 1. So most of us take Occasion to sit still.
1748. Richardson, Clarissa (1768), I. 173. We have but one mind between us.
1815. Scott, Antiq., xv. He hasna settled his account … wi’ huz for sax months.
1845. J. Coulter, Adv. in Pacific, xiii. 184. Our enemy numbers three times us.
1880. Tennyson, trans. Battle Brunanburh, v. Fiercely we hack’d at the flyers before us.
d. With participles in absolute construction.
1549. Coverdale, etc., Erasm. Par. Acts, 24 b. Vntill he ascended vp (all vs beholdyng hym) to heauen.
1667. Milton, P. L., VII. 142. This inaccessible high strength,… us dispossest, He trusted to have seis’d.
e. In ethical dative. Obs. exc. arch.
1685. Travestin, Siege Newheusel, 48. They also killed us Captain Feluck.
1711. Lond. Gaz., No. 4864/1. They wounded us only one Man.
2. Reflexive, = Ourselves. (Also † us selven: see SELF a. 3.) † a. Accusative, as direct object of a verb. Obs.
971. Blickl. Hom., 37. ʓeþencean we ʓeornlice þæt we us healdan on þas tid, & on ælce, wiþ þa heafodlican leahtras.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 69. And halde we us from uniwil.
c. 1200. Ormin, 7542. Ȝiff we wolldenn shunenn aȝȝ To fillenn uss wiþþ esstess.
a. 1300. E. E. Psalter xcix. 3. And he vs made, and our self noght vs.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Merch. T., 597. For we han leue to pleye vs by the lawe.
c. 1430. Hymns Virgin (1867), 19. For we may not hide us from þin iȝe.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (1531), 26. We may lerne how to prepare vs towarde our iourney.
1594. Kyd, Cornelia, IV. i. 160. Shall we … Submit vs to vnurged slauerie.
1625. Purchas, Pilgrims, I. II. 1133. We made vs fast to the stones of them.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe, II. (Globe), 552. We stopp’d … to refresh us.
1729. Law, Serious C., xvi. 289. We must not let this hour pass, without presenting us to him.
† b. Dative, as indirect object, or as object of a prep. Obs.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Luke iii. 8. We habbað us to fæder abraham.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 65. Her is swiþe ufel bone, Ȝif we hetieð us bitwene.
c. 1500. Yng. Children’s Bk., 27, in Babees Bk., 19. Fore oure mete, & drynke, & vs, Thanke we owre lord Ihesus.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., II. iv. 5. We haue not spoke vs yet of Torch-bearers. Ibid. (1600), A. Y. L., II. i. 21. Come, shall we goe and kill vs venison? Ibid. (1605), Macb., IV. iii. 214. Let’s make vs Med’cines of our great Reuenge.
c. After some verbs of motion or posture. Now arch. or dial.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 4594. Þus sped we vs out of spayne.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 72 b. These thynges … we shall spede vs … to declare.
1587. [see HIE v. 3].
1599. George a Greene, B 2 b. Let vs hye ys to Wakefield.
1641. [see HIE v. 3]
1781. Cowper, Expost., 289. The cry … is still the same—Speed us away to battle and to fame.
1892. in Eng. Dial. Dict., s.v., We sat us dahn on a wall top.
† 3. Each other. Obs. rare.
13[?]. Guy Warw. (A.), 4575. Ouer alle oþer we loueden ous.
c. 1400. T. Chestre, Launfal, 108. But, syr meyr,… May y take with the sojour? Som tyme we knewe us yore.
4. In restricted use with defining term added.
c. 1400. Brut, I. lxxx. 81. To maken oppen werr and contak aȝeyns vs of Rome.
a. 1547. Surrey, Æneid, II. 252. Us caitifes then a far more dredful chaunce Befell.
1596. Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., II. ii. 89. Bacon-fed Knaues, they hate vs youth.
1612. R. Ch., Olde Thrift newly revived, 38. The true state and dislike of vs Husband-men and Farmers.
1641. in A. H. Matthew, Convers. Sir T. Matthew (1904), 176. Concerning the loyalty of us Catholics.
a. 1680. T. Goodwin, Wks. (1861), I. 152. None of us creatures had ever come into this after-account.
a. 1718. Prior, Epilogue to Phædra, 5. To let Us Moderns know How Women lov’d two thousand years ago.
1814. Spaniards, II. ii. Thou ’rt … fond to pass the inventions … As real facts upon us simple men.
1825. Scott, Talism., xxv. Thou art ever prompt to pleasure us poor women.
c. 1850. Lowell, Interview M. Standish, x. They understand us Pilgrims!
1871. Jowett, Plato, I. 154. None of us unskilled individuals can … become physicians.
5. Used as a nominative, in place of WE. Now dial.
1607. Dekker & Webster, Sir T. Wyat, B j. Come my Lords, shall vs march?
1699. O. Haig, in J. Russell, Haigs, xi. (1881), 339. May us and all our posterity be thankful to Heaven.
1737. Dyche, Dict., We, ourselves, us that are present.
a. 1775. Dick o’ the Cow, ii., in Child, Ball., III. 464. England and us has been long at a feed.
1846–. in general dialect use (Eng. Dial. Dict.).
1880. Mrs. Parr, Adam & Eve, II. 25. Us’ll have down the big Bible and read chapters verse by verse.
1904. [see UP v. 4].
b. With sb. or adj. numeral in apposition.
c. 1489. Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, ix. 212. None other shall knowe the same, but oonly we, vs thre.
1611. Shaks., Cymb., V. iv. 70. For this … we came, our Parents, and vs twaine.
1663. Pepys, Diary, 8 June. Mr. Coventry and us two did discourse with the Duke.
1814. Moore, Mem. (1853), II. 36. A thing us men ought … to bless God for.
1840. Thackeray, Barber Cox, May. What enjoyments us aristocracy used to have!
1853. Dickens, Bleak Ho., vii. Us London lawyers don’t often get an out.
1889. ‘R. Boldrewood,’ Robbery under Arms, xxxv. Only us five were in possession of the secret.
c. In continuative or exclamatory clauses introduced by and.
1848. Dickens, Dombey, xlvi. ‘And him so rich?’ murmured the old woman. ‘And us so poor!’
d. In the predicate after the verb to be.
Common in dialect and colloquial use, and occasionally employed in writing.
1883. Stevenson, Treas. Isl., xxx. It’s us must break the treaty when the times come.
1890. W. James, Princ. Psychol., I. 291. Our bodies themselves, are they simply ours, or are they us?
1897. Westm. Gaz., 25 Sept., 8/2. That is one of the things we all take for granted—because the Empire is Us.
6. The word us.
1748. Richardson, Clarissa (1768), VII. 18. If by thy We’s and Us’s thou meanest thyself or me.
7. Naut. Our vessel.
1622. R. Hawkins, Voy S. Sea, 66. We had taken the Vice-admirall, the first time shee bourded with vs.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe, II. (Globe), 519. They crowded after us, and endeavoured to come under our Stern, so as to board us.
c. 1800. in N. & Q., 12th Ser. XI. 42. Gen[era]l Bowls … happened to be on board of us, taking his passage … to Jamaica.
II. With reference to a single person.
8. Used by a sovereign or other potentate or magnate. Cf. WE pron. 2 a. Also quasi-sb. (quot. 1863).
In older Sc. also used for we before the name of a person.
1258. Henry III., Proclam., 4. And we hoaten alle vre treowe in þe treowþe pæt heo vs oȝen.
1425. Reg. Mag. Sigilli Scot., 11/1. Be it kend tel al men throwch thir present letteris ws Archibald Erle of Douglas [etc.].
1436. K. Henry VI., in Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., Var. Coll., IV. 200. That he may wythoute delay certefie Us of the same.
1477. Jas. III., in Excheq. Rolls Scotl., VIII. 403, note. Landis … the quhilkis umquhile Cuthbert Colvile had of ws of before.
1579. Q. Eliz., in Nicolas, Hatton (1847), 106. Such Princes as … have sought us in way of marriage.
1585. Jas. VI., in Spalding Club Misc., I. 3. Send the samen extract attentiklie subscriuit be the shireff clerk to ws.
1601. Q. Eliz., in Moryson, Itin., II. (1617), 151. Tell Our Army from Vs, that [etc.].
1708. Royal Proclam., 18 Jan., in Lond. Gaz. They shall be liable to be Imprest, except the Watermen belonging to Us.
1710. in Nairne Peerage Evidence (1874), 151. Be it kend to all men by thir present letters Us William lord Nairne … Forasmuch as we considering it [etc.].
1823. Scott, Quentin D., xxvii. Should our host murder us on this spot—us, his King and his kinsman.
1850. Cdl. Wiseman, Pastoral, 2 Oct. His Holiness was pleased to raise us … to the rank of Cardinal Priest of the Holy Roman Church.
1863. ‘Ouida,’ Held in Bondage, i. I did know his family—the royal sounding ‘Us.’
b. In editorial or authorial use.
1835. J. Poole, Sk. & Recoll., I. 87. Respecting the subscriptions … to his weekly balls, it is not for us to speak.
1895. Westm. Gaz., 9 May, 2/2. The man chosen to do it was the one public man who is supposed never to read Us.
9. dial. and colloq. Me; to me.
1828. Carr, Craven Gloss., s.v., ‘Give us some bread,’ i.e. give me some bread.
1854–. in dialect use (Eng. Dial. Dict.).
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown, I. iv. Tell us something more about the pea-shooting.
