See Also:

rotunda (iou) and too (iou)


rotunda (iou)



rotunda noun. . E17.
[Alt., after Latin rotundus, of Italian rotonda fem. of rotondo round. Cf. ROTUNDO.]
A building with a circular interior and plan, esp. one with a dome; spec. (the Rotunda) the Pantheon in Rome. E17.
a. A circular hall or room. L18.
b. The main hall of a public building; a concourse. N. Amer. E20.
A rounded formal gothic script used esp. in Italy from the 13th cent.; printing type based on this style. E20.

too (iou)



too adverb. [tu:] OE.
[Stressed form of TO preposition, spelt too from 16th cent.]
I.
In addition; furthermore, besides, also. OE.
J. Betjeman You'd hate it too if you were me. M. Amis I too saw what he saw.
b. At the beginning of a clause: moreover. (rare or obsolete. 17-E20.) Now chiefly N. Amer. ME.
R. Ludlum Too, the windows were not that close to one another.
c. Certainly, indeed (used emphatically to reassert a command or counter a negative). colloq. (orig. & chiefly N. Amer.). E20.
A. Maling 'You can't really believe in both,' she said. 'You can too!' Frances said hotly.
II.
Qualifying a following adjective or adverb: in excess; to a greater degree than is right, desirable, permissible, or necessary. Freq. foll. by to do, for. Cf. too much below. OE.
M. Sinclair She was too tired to listen. J. Steinbeck The coat was too big, the trousers too short, for he was a tall man. H. Secombe Perhaps I'm pushing things a bit too far.
b. Qualifying a verb: too much, to excess. literary. rare. E16.
Browning I have too trusted my own lawless wants, Too trusted my vain self.
Modifying an adjective: to a lamentable or reprehensible extent; regrettably, painfully. Esp. in too true, all too, but too, only too, or redupl., with intensive force. ME.
Ld Macaulay At best a blunderer, and too probably a traitor. S. Douglas Tracers..indicating all too clearly that the enemy..was on the attack. N. Freeling 'Rare, that sort of saint.' 'Too true.'
b. As a mere intensive: extremely, exceedingly, very. Also only too, but too, or (now freq. affected) redupl. ME.
M. Laski We shall be happy, only too happy to open an account for Madame. D. Cusack I think male animals are simply too disgusting.
Phrases & comb.: Prefixed to adjectives and adverbs to form adjectival phrs. and adverbial phrs., freq. with Other qualifiers, as all-too-familiar, not-too-bright, too-hastily, etc. just too bad: see JUST adverb. none too: see NONE adverb 2. too bad: see BAD adjective. too big for one's boots, too big for one's breeches: see BIG adjective. too clever by half: see HALF noun. too for words: see WORD noun. too good to be true: see GOOD adjective. too hot to hold one: see HOT adjective. too MANY for. too much (a) = sense 2 above (now only qualifying verbs, verbal phrs., or ppl adjectives); (b) pred. more than necessary or desirable, excessive; too much of a good thing, an excess of something otherwise desirable; (c) as interjection (orig. US), excellent! too much for more than a match for, such as to overwhelm or subdue. too right: see RIGHT adjective.