they

they
they PRONOUN (third person pl. ) 1) used to refer to two or more people or things previously mentioned or easily identified. 2) people in general. 3) informal people in authority regarded collectively. 4) used to refer to a person of unspecified sex (in place of either ‘he’ or ‘he or she’).
USAGE In recent years many people have come to dislike the traditional use of he to refer to a person of either sex, and they (or their) has increasingly been used to refer to a single person of unspecified sex. They is now generally accepted in contexts where it follows an indefinite pronoun such as anyone, no one, someone, or a person, as in each to their own. However, they is still often criticized for being ungrammatical when it comes after a singular noun, as in ask a friend if they could help.
ORIGIN Old Norse.

English terms dictionary. 2015.

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