See Also:

unto (iou)



unto preposition & conjunction. Chiefly arch. & literary. ME.
[from UNTIL preposition with TO preposition replacing northern equivalent TILL preposition.]
A. preposition.
I. Introducing a noun or pronoun.
Expr. a spatial or local relation: = TO preposition 1a, b, c, e. ME.
Shakespeare Henry V Once more unto the breach, dear friends. Goldsmith A strong haven, with walls reaching unto the city. Wordsworth In that very place My Lady first took me unto her grace. R. Allan The hope..to press thee Unto my fond bosom.
Expr. a temporal relationship. Cf. TO preposition 2.
a. Until, till. Also, indicating regular recurrence within specified units of time, as day unto day. ME.
I. Maclaren Doctor Manley..praises Kate unto this day.
b. After a neg.: before. Now rare. LME.
Expr. the relation of purpose, destination, result, resulting condition or status: = TO preposition 3. ME.
Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream He hath turn'd a heaven unto a hell! Wordsworth The prison, unto which we doom ourselves.
Expr. a limit in extent, amount, or degree: = TO preposition 4a, b. ME.
Sir T. Browne The whole world perished unto eight persons before the floud. M. Forster He had been..very ill, nigh unto death.
Expr. addition, attachment, accompaniment, or possession.
a. = TO preposition 5b. ME.
D. G. Rossetti Still some golden hair Unto his shoulder clinging, since the last Embrace.
b. = TO preposition 5c. LME.
c. By way of increase to; in addition to; with, besides. Cf. TO preposition 5a. E16.
Expr. relation to a standard or to a stated term or point: = TO preposition 6a, c, d, e. ME.
Tennyson All thy passions, match'd with mine, Are as moonlight unto sunlight. M. Forster I am like unto a leper..with all faces turned against me.
Expr. the relation to a specified object of speech, action, etc.: = TO preposition 7a, b, c, d. ME.
Oxford Today Sing Praise and thanksgiving unto God our king.
Repr. an original dative: = TO preposition 8c, d, e. ME.
unto oneself set aside from or unconnected with others, in and of oneself. be a law unto oneself: see LAW noun1.
Bible (AV): Matthew 22:21 Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's. Proverb: Do unto others as you would they should do unto you.
II. Introducing an infinitive.
= TO preposition 9. LME-L15.
b. conjunction. Until. ME-L16.