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of

Of is a widely used English preposition that marks a relationship between two elements. It expresses origin or source, possession, composition or material, content or theme, partitive meaning, and association. It is common in both everyday speech and formal writing, and it often appears in noun phrases, clauses, and idiomatic expressions.

Common uses include indicating material: a statue of marble; content: a cup of tea; quantity or partitive

In syntax, of links the preceding noun to the following noun to form a prepositional phrase. Its

Etymology traces of the word go back to Old English in the same form, with cognates across

meaning:
three
of
us;
origin
or
association:
a
man
of
wealth;
characteristic:
a
woman
of
courage;
and
reference:
a
book
of
poetry.
It
also
appears
in
expressions
denoting
membership,
hierarchy,
or
attribution,
such
as
“a
member
of
the
committee”
or
“the
capital
of
France.”
In
many
cases,
the
sense
can
be
conveyed
by
the
possessive
form
(the
car’s
color,
for
example),
but
of
tends
to
be
preferred
for
inanimate
nouns,
abstract
nouns,
and
official
titles
or
formal
descriptions.
placement
can
affect
emphasis
and
nuance,
as
in
“the
door
of
the
house”
versus
“the
house’s
door.”
Some
fixed
phrases
and
idioms
depend
on
of
in
ways
that
resist
straightforward
paraphrase
with
a
possessive,
such
as
“free
of
charge,”
“out
of
reach,”
or
“pieces
of
eight.”
early
Germanic
languages.
As
one
of
the
oldest
and
most
versatile
prepositions
in
English,
of
remains
essential
for
expressing
a
broad
range
of
relational
meanings.