it

it (pron.) O.E. hit, neuter nominative and accusative of third person singular pronoun, from P.Gmc. demonstrative base *khi- (Cf. O.Fris. hit, Du. het, Goth. hita "it"), from PIE *ko- "this" (see HE (Cf. he)). Used in place of any neuter noun, hence, as gender faded in M.E., it took on the meaning "thing or animal spoken about before." The h- was lost due to being in an unemphasized position, as in modern speech the h- in "give it to him," "ask her," "is only heard in the careful speech of the partially educated" [Weekley]. It "the sex act" is from 1610s; meaning "sex appeal (especially in a woman)" first attested 1904 in works of Rudyard Kipling, popularized 1927 as title of a book by Elinor Glyn, and by application of It Girl to silent-film star Clara Bow (1905-1965). In children's games, meaning "the one who must tag the others" is attested from 1842.