though
[th oh]
- (used in introducing a subordinate clause, which is often marked by ellipsis) notwithstanding that; in spite of the fact that; although: Though he tried very hard, he failed the course.
- even if; granting that (often preceded by even).
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- for all that; however.
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- as though, as if: It seems as though the place is deserted.
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Origin of though
1150–1200; Middle English thoh < Old Norse thō (earlier *thauh); replacing Old English thēah; cognate with German doch, Gothic thauh
Usage note
Among some conservatives there is a traditional objection to the use of though in place of although as a conjunction. However, the latter (earlier all though ) was originally an emphatic form of the former, and there is nothing in contemporary English usage to justify such a distinction.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
stillyetthoughwhennotwithstandingnonethelesswithalneverthelesshoweveralthoughbutregardlesshowbeitdespitealbeitgrantedifwhereasallowingadmittingthough
- (sometimes preceded by even) despite the fact thatthough he tries hard, he always fails; poor though she is, her life is happy
- as though as ifhe looked as though he'd seen a ghost
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- nevertheless; howeverhe can't dance: he sings well, though
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Word Origin
Old English theah; related to Old Frisian thāch, Old Saxon, Old High German thōh, Old Norse thō
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for even though
though
c.1200, from Old English þeah, and in part from Old Norse þo "though," both from Proto-Germanic *thaukh (cf. Gothic þauh, Old Frisian thach, Middle Dutch, Dutch doch, Old High German doh, German doch), from PIE demonstrative pronoun *to- (see that). The evolution of the terminal sound did not follow laugh, tough, etc., though a tendency to end the word in "f" existed c.1300-1750 and persists in dialects.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with even though
though
see as if (though).
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.