unto
preposition
- to
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈʌntʊ/ / /-tuː/ / /-tə/
conj
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English unto, from Old English *untō, *und tō, equivalent to un- (“against; toward; up to”) + to. Cognate with Old Frisian ont to ("until"; > Saterland Frisian antou (“until”)) (cf. Old Frisian und (“up to; till”), Old Frisian til (“till; to”)), Old Saxon untō, untuo (“until”), Old High German unze, unzi, unza (“until”), Old Norse und (“as far as; up to”), Gothic 𐌿𐌽𐍄𐌴 (untē, “until; as long as”).
- Up to the time or degree that; until.
“Unto This Last (John Ruskin)”
prep
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English unto, from Old English *untō, *und tō, equivalent to un- (“against; toward; up to”) + to. Cognate with Old Frisian ont to ("until"; > Saterland Frisian antou (“until”)) (cf. Old Frisian und (“up to; till”), Old Frisian til (“till; to”)), Old Saxon untō, untuo (“until”), Old High German unze, unzi, unza (“until”), Old Norse und (“as far as; up to”), Gothic 𐌿𐌽𐍄𐌴 (untē, “until; as long as”).
- Up to; indicates a motion towards a thing and then stopping at it.
“Sir Gawain rode unto the nearby castle.”
“Come unto these yellow sands, And then take hands; Curtsied when you have, and kiss'd The wild waves whist, Foot it featly here and there, And sweet sprites bear The burthen.[…]”
- To; indicates an indirect object.
“And the Lord said unto Moses […]”
“So please my lord the duke and all the court To quit the fine for one half of his goods I am content; so he will let me have The other half in use, to render it, Upon his death, unto the gentleman That lately stole his daughter: Two things provided more,—[…]”
- Down to the last; encompassing even every.
“I do but sing because I must, And pipe but as the linnets sing: And unto one her note is gay, For now her little ones have ranged; And unto one her note is changed, Because her brood is stol’n away.”