a. [ OE. al, pl. alle, AS. eal, pl. ealle, Northumbrian alle, akin to D. & OHG. al, Ger. all, Icel. allr. Dan. al, Sw. all, Goth. alls; and perh. to Ir. and Gael. uile, W. oll. ] 1. The whole quantity, extent, duration, amount, quality, or degree of; the whole; the whole number of; any whatever; every; as, all the wheat; all the land; all the year; all the strength; all happiness; all abundance; loss of all power; beyond all doubt; you will see us all (or all of us). [ 1913 Webster ]

Prove all things: hold fast that which is good. 1 Thess. v. 21. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any. [ Obs. ] “Without all remedy.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ When the definite article “the, ” or a possessive or a demonstrative pronoun, is joined to the noun that all qualifies, all precedes the article or the pronoun; as, all the cattle; all my labor; all his wealth; all our families; all your citizens; all their property; all other joys. [ 1913 Webster ]

This word, not only in popular language, but in the Scriptures, often signifies, indefinitely, a large portion or number, or a great part. Thus, all the cattle in Egypt died, all Judea and all the region round about Jordan, all men held John as a prophet, are not to be understood in a literal sense, but as including a large part, or very great numbers. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Only; alone; nothing but. [ 1913 Webster ]

I was born to speak all mirth and no matter. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

All the whole, the whole (emphatically). [ Obs. ] “All the whole army.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The whole number, quantity, or amount; the entire thing; everything included or concerned; the aggregate; the whole; totality; everything or every person; as, our all is at stake. [ 1913 Webster ]

Death, as the Psalmist saith, is certain to all. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

All that thou seest is mine. Gen. xxxi. 43. [ 1913 Webster ]

All is used with of, like a partitive; as, all of a thing, all of us. [ 1913 Webster ]

After all, after considering everything to the contrary; nevertheless. --
All in all, a phrase which signifies all things to a person, or everything desired; (also adverbially) wholly; altogether. [ 1913 Webster ] Thou shalt be all in all, and I in thee,
Forever. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ] Trust me not at all, or all in all. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ] --
All in the wind (Naut.), a phrase denoting that the sails are parallel with the course of the wind, so as to shake. --
All told, all counted; in all. --
And all, and the rest; and everything connected. “Bring our crown and all.” Shak. --
At all. (a) In every respect; wholly; thoroughly. [ Obs. ] “She is a shrew at al(l).” Chaucer. (b) A phrase much used by way of enforcement or emphasis, usually in negative or interrogative sentences, and signifying in any way or respect; in the least degree or to the least extent; in the least; under any circumstances; as, he has no ambition at all; has he any property at all? “Nothing at all.” Shak. “If thy father at all miss me.” 1 Sam. xx. 6. --
Over all, everywhere. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ All is much used in composition to enlarge the meaning, or add force to a word. In some instances, it is completely incorporated into words, and its final consonant is dropped, as in almighty, already, always: but, in most instances, it is an adverb prefixed to adjectives or participles, but usually with a hyphen, as, all-bountiful, all-glorious, allimportant, all-surrounding, etc. In others it is an adjective; as, allpower, all-giver. Anciently many words, as, alabout, alaground, etc., were compounded with all, which are now written separately. [ 1913 Webster ]

conj. [ Orig. all, adv., wholly: used with though or if, which being dropped before the subjunctive left all as if in the sense although. ] Although; albeit. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

All they were wondrous loth. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. 1. Wholly; completely; altogether; entirely; quite; very; as, all bedewed; my friend is all for amusement. “And cheeks all pale.” Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In the ancient phrases, all too dear, all too much, all so long, etc., this word retains its appropriate sense or becomes intensive. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Even; just. (Often a mere intensive adjunct.) [ Obs. or Poet. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

All as his straying flock he fed. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

A damsel lay deploring
All on a rock reclined. Gay. [ 1913 Webster ]

All to, or
All-to. In such phrases as “all to rent, ” “all to break, ” “all-to frozen, ” etc., which are of frequent occurrence in our old authors, the all and the to have commonly been regarded as forming a compound adverb, equivalent in meaning to entirely, completely, altogether. But the sense of entireness lies wholly in the word all (as it does in “all forlorn, ” and similar expressions), and the to properly belongs to the following word, being a kind of intensive prefix (orig. meaning asunder and answering to the LG. ter-, HG. zer-). It is frequently to be met with in old books, used without the all. Thus Wyclif says, “The vail of the temple was to rent:” and of Judas, “He was hanged and to-burst the middle:” i. e., burst in two, or asunder. --
All along. See under Along. --
All and some, individually and collectively, one and all. [ Obs. ] “Displeased all and some.” Fairfax. --
All but. (a) Scarcely; not even. [ Obs. ] Shak. (b) Almost; nearly. “The fine arts were all but proscribed.” Macaulay. --
All hollow, entirely, completely; as, to beat any one all hollow. [ Low ] --
All one, the same thing in effect; that is, wholly the same thing. --
All over, over the whole extent; thoroughly; wholly; as, she is her mother all over. [ Colloq. ] --
All the better, wholly the better; that is, better by the whole difference. --
All the same, nevertheless. “There they [ certain phenomena ] remain rooted all the same, whether we recognize them or not.” J. C. Shairp. “But Rugby is a very nice place all the same.” T. Arnold. -- See also under All, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ [ It., according to the breve. ] (Old Church Music) With one breve, or four minims, to measure, and sung faster like four crotchets; in quick common time; -- indicated in the time signature by &unr_;. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ contr. fr. the article al the + ilah God. ] The name of the Supreme Being, in use among the Arabs and the Muslims generally. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. See Alamort. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From T. Allan, who first distinguished it as a species. ] (min.) A silicate containing a large amount of cerium. It is usually black in color, opaque, and is related to epidote in form and composition. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. allantoïque. ] Pertaining to, or contained in, the allantois. [ 1913 Webster ]

Allantoic acid. (Chem.) See Allantoin. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖ } n.. (Anat.) A membranous appendage of the embryos of mammals, birds, and reptiles, -- in mammals serving to connect the fetus with the parent; the urinary vesicle. [ 1913 Webster ]