its

== Translingual == === Etymology === Clipping of English Itsekiri or Itsekiri Ìtsẹ̀kírì. === Symbol === its (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Itsekiri. === See also === Wiktionary’s coverage of Itsekiri terms == English == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ɪts/ (Northwestern US) IPA(key): /ɪʔ.s/ Rhymes: -ɪts Homophone: it's === Etymology 1 === Equivalent to it +‎ -s (possessive marker). From the earlier form it's (it +‎ -'s), which is now considered nonstandard. Began to displace his as the possessive of the neuter pronoun in the Middle English period; had fully displaced it by the 1700s. ==== Alternative forms ==== it's (now nonstandard) ==== Determiner ==== its Belonging to it. [from 16th c.] 1763, Authorized King James Version of the Bible, Oxford Standard Text, Leviticus 25:5: That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. (originally "of it own accord" in the 1611 first edition) ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Pronoun ==== its The one (or ones) belonging to it. [from 17th c.] 1645, Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton, Letter to Ferdinando Fairfax, 6 February 1645: [...] both Houses have resolved to rob the North of a good friend of its and yours. For more quotations using this term, see Citations:its. ===== Translations ===== ==== Usage notes ==== In practice, its is commonly used as a determiner before a noun, but its use as a solo pronoun is generally avoided. Its is now distinguished from it's (a contraction of "it is" or "it has"). For example, It's going to rain is equivalent to It is going to rain, and It's been raining for hours is equivalent to It has been raining for hours. However, the two are commonly confused, and using its where there should be it's (or vice versa) is a common mistake in written English. Like it, its is usually avoided when referring to humans. Its is commonly used with animals when the gender is unknown or unimportant. However, its could be used if the person who can't be seen clearly is described as a figure, shape, silhouette, etc. E.g. The figure moved behind a bush, but Josh could see its shadow from the moonlight. ==== See also ==== their, theirs === Etymology 2 === Contraction of it +‎ is. ==== Contraction ==== its Obsolete spelling of it's. === Etymology 3 === From it +‎ -s (plural suffix). ==== Noun ==== its plural of it === References === === Anagrams === SIT, 'tis, Sit, IST, TIs, t'is, tis, STI, TIS, is't, ist, sit, -ist, Ist, TSI, S.T.I. == Kalasha == === Noun === its alternative spelling of ič̣