1. [adv]  to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent; "he was wholly convinced"; "entirely satisfied with the meal"; "it was completely different from what we expected"; "was completely at fault"; "a totally new situation"; "the directions were all wrong"; "It was not altogether her fault"; "an altogether new approach"; (`whole' is often used informally for `wholly' as in"a whole new idea")
2. [adj]  completely given to or absorbed by; "became all attention"

ALL is a 3 letter word that starts with A.

1. \All\, a. [OE. al, pl. alle, AS. eal, pl. ealle,
   Northumbrian alle, akin to D. & OHG. al, Ger. all, Icel.
   allr. Dan. al, Sw. all, Goth. alls; and perh. to Ir. and
   Gael. uile, W. oll.]
   1. The whole quantity, extent, duration, amount, quality, or
      degree of; the whole; the whole number of; any whatever;
      every; as, all the wheat; all the land; all the year; all
      the strength; all happiness; all abundance; loss of all
      power; beyond all doubt; you will see us all (or all of
      us).
            Prove all things: hold fast that which is good. --1
                                                  Thess. v. 21.
   2. Any. [Obs.] ``Without all remedy.'' --Shak.
   Note: When the definite article ``the,'' or a possessive or a
         demonstrative pronoun, is joined to the noun that all
         qualifies, all precedes the article or the pronoun; as,
         all the cattle; all my labor; all his wealth; all our
         families; all your citizens; all their property; all
         other joys.
   Note: This word, not only in popular language, but in the
         Scriptures, often signifies, indefinitely, a large
         portion or number, or a great part. Thus, all the
         cattle in Egypt died, all Judea and all the region
         round about Jordan, all men held John as a prophet, are
         not to be understood in a literal sense, but as
         including a large part, or very great numbers.
   3. Only; alone; nothing but.
            I was born to speak all mirth and no matter. --Shak.
   {All the whole}, the whole (emphatically). [Obs.] ``All the
      whole army.'' --Shak.
   

2. \All\, adv.
   1. Wholly; completely; altogether; entirely; quite; very; as,
      all bedewed; my friend is all for amusement. ``And cheeks
      all pale.'' --Byron.
   Note: In the ancient phrases, all too dear, all too much, all
         so long, etc., this word retains its appropriate sense
         or becomes intensive.
   2. Even; just. (Often a mere intensive adjunct.) [Obs. or
      Poet.]
            All as his straying flock he fed.     --Spenser.
            A damsel lay deploring All on a rock reclined.
                                                  --Gay.
   {All to}, or {All-to}. In such phrases as ``all to rent,''
      ``all to break,'' ``all-to frozen,'' etc., which are of
      frequent occurrence in our old authors, the all and the to
      have commonly been regarded as forming a compound adverb,
      equivalent in meaning to entirely, completely, altogether.
      But the sense of entireness lies wholly in the word all
      (as it does in ``all forlorn,'' and similar expressions),
      and the to properly belongs to the following word, being a
      kind of intensive prefix (orig. meaning asunder and
      answering to the LG. ter-, HG. zer-). It is frequently to
      be met with in old books, used without the all. Thus
      Wyclif says, ``The vail of the temple was to rent:'' and
      of Judas, ``He was hanged and to-burst the middle:'' i.
      e., burst in two, or asunder.
   {All along}. See under {Along}.
   {All and some}, individually and collectively, one and all.
      [Obs.] ``Displeased all and some.'' --Fairfax.
   {All but}.
      (a) Scarcely; not even. [Obs.] --Shak.
      (b) Almost; nearly. ``The fine arts were all but
          proscribed.'' --Macaulay.
   {All hollow}, entirely, completely; as, to beat any one all
      hollow. [Low]
   {All one}, the same thing in effect; that is, wholly the same
      thing.
   {All over}, over the whole extent; thoroughly; wholly; as,
      she is her mother all over. [Colloq.]
   {All the better}, wholly the better; that is, better by the
      whole difference.
   {All the same}, nevertheless. ``There they [certain
      phenomena] remain rooted all the same, whether we
      recognize them or not.'' --J. C. Shairp. ``But Rugby is a
      very nice place all the same.'' --T. Arnold. -- See also
      under {All}, n.
   

3. \All\, n.
   The whole number, quantity, or amount; the entire thing;
   everything included or concerned; the aggregate; the whole;
   totality; everything or every person; as, our all is at
   stake.
         Death, as the Psalmist saith, is certain to all.
                                                  --Shak.
         All that thou seest is mine.             --Gen. xxxi.
                                                  43.
   Note: All is used with of, like a partitive; as, all of a
         thing, all of us.
   {After all}, after considering everything to the contrary;
      nevertheless.
   {All in all}, a phrase which signifies all things to a
      person, or everything desired; (also adverbially) wholly;
      altogether.
            Thou shalt be all in all, and I in thee, Forever.
                                                  --Milton.
            Trust me not at all, or all in all.   --Tennyson.
   {All in the wind} (Naut.), a phrase denoting that the sails
      are parallel with the course of the wind, so as to shake.
   {All told}, all counted; in all.
   {And all}, and the rest; and everything connected. ``Bring
      our crown and all.'' --Shak.
   {At all}.
   (a) In every respect; wholly; thoroughly. [Obs.] ``She is a
       shrew at al(l).'' --Chaucer.
   (b) A phrase much used by way of enforcement or emphasis,
       usually in negative or interrogative sentences, and
       signifying in any way or respect; in the least degree or
       to the least extent; in the least; under any
       circumstances; as, he has no ambition at all; has he any
       property at all? ``Nothing at all.'' --Shak. ``If thy
       father at all miss me.'' --1 Sam. xx. 6.
   {Over all}, everywhere. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
   Note: All is much used in composition to enlarge the meaning,
         or add force to a word. In some instances, it is
         completely incorporated into words, and its final
         consonant is dropped, as in almighty, already, always:
         but, in most instances, it is an adverb prefixed to
         adjectives or participles, but usually with a hyphen,
         as, all-bountiful, all-glorious, allimportant,
         all-surrounding, etc. In others it is an adjective; as,
         allpower, all-giver. Anciently many words, as, alabout,
         alaground, etc., were compounded with all, which are
         now written separately.
   

4. \All\, conj. [Orig. all, adv., wholly: used with though or
   if, which being dropped before the subjunctive left all as if
   in the sense although.]
   Although; albeit. [Obs.]
         All they were wondrous loth.             --Spenser.