As subject of a verb: it; -- used with reference to: (a) an inanimate thing, abstraction, etc.; (b) an animal; also, a devil [neuter in OE as common noun]; (c) a child; (d) the general sense of a preceding statement or discussion, a matter previously stated or understood, an action, a plan, story, etc.; (e) a plural antecedent; (f) a man.

As object of a verb or preposition: it; -- used with reference to: (a) an inanimate thing, abstraction, etc.; thit (the hit), who it; (b) an animal; also, a devil; (c) a child; (d) folk (in early usage, still a neuter noun); (e) the general sense of something previously stated or implied, an action, a story, etc.; (f) a plural antecedent.

(a) As a possessive: its; ~ self being, its own being or nature; (b) as a demonstrative: that.

As a grammatical subject emphasizing a real subject, which usually follows hit and which may be: (a) a noun or pronoun designating a thing, an animal, an abstraction, etc.; (b) a plural of this kind; (c) a noun designating a person; (d) a pronoun designating a person; -- usually precedes hit in early usage; (e) a plural noun or pron. designating persons; (f) an infinitive or inf. phr.; (g) a noun clause. [In (a), (b), (c), and (e), the verb is often subjunctive.]

(a) As a grammatical subject emphasizing an adverb or an adv. phrase or clause, which may precede or follow hit; (b) as an equivalent of MnE there; ~ is, ist, there is; ~ was, there was; ~ aren, there are; ~ weren, there were; etc.

As a grammatical object emphasizing a real object, which may be: (a) a direct quotation; (b) a noun clause; -- usually a that or hou clause; (c) an infinitive phrase.

In pleonastic uses [not always clearly distinguished from usages 4 and 5]: (a) accompanying a subject, which may precede or follow hit; (b) accompanying an object, which may precede or follow.

As an indefinite subject in impersonal constructions: (a) having to do with weather; ~ reineth, it is raining, it rains; ~ shineth, there is sunshine; etc.; (b) having to do with time or the passage of time; ~ daued, it dawned, the dawn came; ~ is prime, ~ com to night, it was dai, etc.; (c) with verbs like faren, gon, sitten, wenden; so ~ fareth, thus ~ goth, it goes thus, this is what happens, the situation is thus, etc.; (d) having to do with something reported, said in a book, told in a story, etc.; (e) with verbs like liken, plesen, semen, thinken; as ~ thoughte hem, as it seemed to them, as they thought; and ~ like you, if it please you, if you are pleased; etc.; (f) having to do with the actions of an indefinite agency.

As an indefinite object [often difficult to distinguish from 2. (e)]; god ~ wot, God knows; he ~ forgilte, he forfeited, he became liable to forfeiture; maken ~ treu, to appear to be truthful; requiren ~ of, demand sexual intercourse with (sb.); thei ~ spedde lite, they had little success; etc.