it

Meanings

1. 1
   pron

   The third-person singular neuter personal pronoun used to refer to an inanimate object, abstract entity, or non-human living thing.

   Take this book and put it on the shelf.

2. 2
   pron

   A third-person singular personal pronoun used to refer to a baby or child, especially of unknown gender.

   She took the baby and held it in her arms.

3. 3
   pron

   A third-person singular pronoun used to refer to an unspecified person.

   All these things inclined her, step by step, to submit to the new discovery, whether Queen Victoria's or another's, that each man and each woman has another allotted to it for life, whom it supports, by whom it is supported, till death them do part.

4. 4
   pron

   An affectionate third-person singular personal pronoun.

   "[…] It's my belief that you don't know your own mind." "I don't, dear," said Hulda, nestling to him. "Why, what a puss it is!" cried Sir Philip, kissing her tenderly.

5. 5
   pron

   A third-person singular personal pronoun used to refer to an animate referent who is transgender or non-binary.

   1977-1980, Lou Sullivan, personal diary, quoted in 2019, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma (editors), We Both Laughed In Pleasure Next morning bought her [a drag queen] breakfast & she asked for a couple dollars to get a drink. Gave her $3, walked her to a bar. […] Some teenage boys watched us walking & began shouting. When I left her at the bar door & kissed her goodbye, they began shouting "Ugh! You kissed it!!"

6. 6
   pron

   Refers to someone being identified, often on the phone, but not limited to this situation.

   It's me, John.

7. 7
   pron

   The impersonal pronoun, used without referent as the subject of an impersonal verb or statement (known as the dummy pronoun, dummy it or weather it).

   It is nearly 10 o’clock.

8. 8
   pron

   The impersonal pronoun, used without referent, or with unstated but contextually implied referent, in various short idioms or expressions.

   rough it

Etymology

From Middle English it, hit ( > dialectal English hit (“it”)), from Old English hit (“it”), from Proto-West Germanic *hit, from Proto-Germanic *hit (“this, this one”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe (“here; here”). Cognates Cognate with Yola it, t', yt (“it”), North Frisian at, et, 't (“it”), Saterland Frisian et (“it”), West Frisian it (“it”), Dutch het (“it”), Luxembourgish hatt (“her, it, she”), Elfdalian eð (“it”); also Primitive Irish ᚕᚑᚔ (koi, “here”), Latin cis (“short of; before”), hic (“this”), Greek εκείνος (ekeínos, “that; those”). Compare Cimbrian es, is, 's, 'z (“it”), German es, 's…