To-and-fro

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  To \To\ (?, emphatic or alone, ?, obscure or unemphatic), prep.
     [AS. t[=o]; akin to OS. & OFries. t[=o], D. toe, G. zu, OHG.
     zuo, zua, z[=o], Russ. do, Ir. & Gael. do, OL. -do, -du, as
     in endo, indu, in, Gr. ?, as in ? homeward. [root]200. Cf.
     {Too}, {Tatoo} a beat of drums.]
     1. The preposition to primarily indicates approach and


        arrival, motion made in the direction of a place or thing
        and attaining it, access; and also, motion or tendency
        without arrival; movement toward; -- opposed to {from}.
        "To Canterbury they wend." --Chaucer.
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              Stay with us, go not to Wittenberg.   --Shak.
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              So to the sylvan lodge
              They came, that like Pomona's arbor smiled.
                                                    --Milton.
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              I'll to him again, . . .
              He'll tell me all his purpose.
              She stretched her arms to heaven.     --Dryden.
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     2. Hence, it indicates motion, course, or tendency toward a
        time, a state or condition, an aim, or anything capable of
        being regarded as a limit to a tendency, movement, or
        action; as, he is going to a trade; he is rising to wealth
        and honor.
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     Note: Formerly, by omission of the verb denoting motion, to
           sometimes followed a form of be, with the sense of at,
           or in. "When the sun was [gone or declined] to rest."
           --Chaucer.
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     3. In a very general way, and with innumerable varieties of
        application, to connects transitive verbs with their
        remoter or indirect object, and adjectives, nouns, and
        neuter or passive verbs with a following noun which limits
        their action. Its sphere verges upon that of for, but it
        contains less the idea of design or appropriation; as,
        these remarks were addressed to a large audience; let us
        keep this seat to ourselves; a substance sweet to the
        taste; an event painful to the mind; duty to God and to
        our parents; a dislike to spirituous liquor.
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              Marks and points out each man of us to slaughter.
                                                    --B. Jonson.
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              Whilst they, distilled
              Almost to jelly with the act of fear,
              Stand dumb and speak not to him.      --Shak.
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              Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
              and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance
              patience; and to patience godliness; and to
              godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly
              kindness charity.                     --2 Pet. i.
                                                    5,6,7.
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              I have a king's oath to the contrary. --Shak.
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              Numbers were crowded to death.        --Clarendon.
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              Fate and the dooming gods are deaf to tears.
                                                    --Dryden.
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              Go, buckle to the law.                --Dryden.
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     4. As sign of the infinitive, to had originally the use of
        last defined, governing the infinitive as a verbal noun,
        and connecting it as indirect object with a preceding verb
        or adjective; thus, ready to go, i.e., ready unto going;
        good to eat, i.e., good for eating; I do my utmost to lead
        my life pleasantly. But it has come to be the almost
        constant prefix to the infinitive, even in situations
        where it has no prepositional meaning, as where the
        infinitive is direct object or subject; thus, I love to
        learn, i.e., I love learning; to die for one's country is
        noble, i.e., the dying for one's country. Where the
        infinitive denotes the design or purpose, good usage
        formerly allowed the prefixing of for to the to; as, what
        went ye out for see? (--Matt. xi. 8).
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              Then longen folk to go on pilgrimages,
              And palmers for to seeken strange stranders.
                                                    --Chaucer.
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     Note: Such usage is now obsolete or illiterate. In colloquial
           usage, to often stands for, and supplies, an infinitive
           already mentioned; thus, he commands me to go with him,
           but I do not wish to.
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     5. In many phrases, and in connection with many other words,
        to has a pregnant meaning, or is used elliptically. Thus,
        it denotes or implies:
        (a) Extent; limit; degree of comprehension; inclusion as
            far as; as, they met us to the number of three
            hundred.
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                  We ready are to try our fortunes
                  To the last man.                  --Shak.
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                  Few of the Esquimaux can count to ten. --Quant.
                                                    Rev.
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        (b) Effect; end; consequence; as, the prince was flattered
            to his ruin; he engaged in a war to his cost; violent
            factions exist to the prejudice of the state.
        (c) Apposition; connection; antithesis; opposition; as,
            they engaged hand to hand.
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                  Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then
                  face to face.                     --1 Cor. xiii.
                                                    12.
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        (d) Accord; adaptation; as, an occupation to his taste;
            she has a husband to her mind.
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                  He to God's image, she to his was made.
                                                    --Dryden.
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        (e) Comparison; as, three is to nine as nine is to
            twenty-seven; it is ten to one that you will offend
            him.
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                  All that they did was piety to this. --B.
                                                    Jonson.
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        (f) Addition; union; accumulation.
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                  Wisdom he has, and to his wisdom, courage.
                                                    --Denham.
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        (g) Accompaniment; as, she sang to his guitar; they danced
            to the music of a piano.
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                  Anon they move
                  In perfect phalanx to the Dorian mood
                  Of flutes and soft recorders.     --Milton.
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        (h) Character; condition of being; purpose subserved or
            office filled. [In this sense archaic] "I have a king
            here to my flatterer." --Shak.
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                  Made his masters and others . . . to consider
                  him to a little wonder.           --Walton.
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     Note: To in to-day, to-night, and to-morrow has the sense or
           force of for or on; for, or on, (this) day, for, or on,
           (this) night, for, or on, (the) morrow. To-day,
           to-night, to-morrow may be considered as compounds, and
           usually as adverbs; but they are sometimes used as
           nouns; as, to-day is ours.
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                 To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow;
                 Creeps in this petty pace from day to day.
                                                    --Shak.
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     {To and again}, to and fro. [R.]
  
     {To and fro}, forward and back. In this phrase, to is
        adverbial.
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              There was great showing both to and fro. --Chaucer.
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     {To-and-fro}, a pacing backward and forward; as, to commence
        a to-and-fro. --Tennyson.
  
     {To the face}, in front of; in behind; hence, in the presence
        of.
  
     {To wit}, to know; namely. See {Wit}, v. i.
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     Note: To, without an object expressed, is used adverbially;
           as, put to the door, i. e., put the door to its frame,
           close it; and in the nautical expressions, to heave to,
           to come to, meaning to a certain position. To, like on,
           is sometimes used as a command, forward, set to. "To,
           Achilles! to, Ajax! to!" --Shak.
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