This

• POS: Definite Article, Adverb

CIDE DICTIONARY

This, pron. & a. [OE. this, thes, AS. &edh;ēs, masc., &edh;eós, fem., &edh;is, neut.; akin to OS. these, D. deze, G. dieser, OHG. diser, deser, Icel. þessi; originally from the definite article + a particle -se, -si; cf. Goth. sai behold. See The, That, and cf. These, Those.].

•  As a demonstrative pronoun, this denotes something that is present or near in place or time, or something just mentioned, or that is just about to be mentioned.  [1913 Webster]

  "When they heard this, they were pricked in their heart."  [1913 Webster]

  "But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched."  [1913 Webster]
•  As an adjective, this has the same demonstrative force as the pronoun, but is followed by a noun; as, this book; this way to town.  [1913 Webster]

  " This may be used as opposed or correlative to that, and sometimes as opposed to other or to a second this. See the Note under That, 1."  [1913 Webster]

  " This, like a, every, that, etc., may refer to a number, as of years, persons, etc., taken collectively or as a whole."  [1913 Webster]

  "This way and that wavering sails they bend."  [1913 Webster]

  "A body of this or that denomination is produced."  [1913 Webster]

  "Their judgment in this we may not, and in that we need not, follow."  [1913 Webster]

  "Consider the arguments which the author had to write this, or to design the other, before you arraign him."  [1913 Webster]

  "Thy crimes . . . soon by this or this will end."  [1913 Webster]

  "This twenty years have I been with thee.."  [1913 Webster]

  "I have not wept this years; but now
  My mother comes afresh into my eyes."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

This, pron., adj., & adv.
--demons.pron. (pl. these)
1 the person or thing close at hand or indicated or already named or understood (can you see this?; this is my cousin).
2 (contrasted with that) the person or thing nearer to hand or more immediately in mind.
3 the action, behaviour, or circumstances under consideration (this won't do at all; what do you think of this?).
4 (on the telephone): a Brit. the person speaking. b US the person spoken to.
--demons.adj. (pl. these)
1 designating the person or thing close at hand etc. (cf. senses 1, 2 of pron.).
2 (of time): a the present or current (am busy all this week). b relating to today (this morning). c just past or to come (have been asking for it these three weeks).
3 colloq. (in narrative) designating a person or thing previously unspecified (then up came this policeman).
--adv. to this degree or extent (knew him when he was this high; did not reach this far).

Idiom

this and that colloq. various unspecified examples of things (esp. trivial). this here sl. this particular (person or thing). this much the amount or extent about to be stated (I know this much, that he was not there). this world mortal life.

Etymology

OE, neut. of thes

ROGET THESAURUS

This

Speciality

N speciality, specialite, individuality, individuity, particularity, peculiarity, idiocrasy, personality, characteristic, mannerism, idiosyncrasy, specificness, singularity, reading, version, lection, state, trait, distinctive feature, technicality, differentia, particulars, details, items, counts, minutiae, I, self, I myself, myself, himself, herself, itself, special, particular, individual, specific, proper, personal, original, private, respective, definite, determinate, especial, certain, esoteric, endemic, partial, party, peculiar, appropriate, several, characteristic, diagnostic, exclusive, singular, idiomatic, idiotypical, typical, this, that, yon, yonder, specially, especially, particularly, in particular, in propria persona, ad hominem, for my part, each, apiece, one by one, one at a time, severally, respectively, each to each, seriatim, in detail, in great detail, in excruciating detail, in mind-numbing detail, bit by bit, pro hac vice, pro re nata, namely, that is to say, for example, id est, exemplia gratia, e, g, i, e, videlicet, viz, to wit, le style est l'homme meme.