thou

¹

[thou]

pronoun

singular

thou ,

possessive

thy, thine ,

objective

thee ,

plural

you, ye ,

possessive

your, yours ,

objective

you, ye .

1. Archaic except in some elevated or ecclesiastical prose.,  the second person singular subject pronoun, equivalent to modern you (used to denote the person or thing addressed).

   Thou shalt not kill.

2. (used byQuakers ) a familiar form of address of the second person singular.

   Thou needn’t apologize.

verb (used with object)

1. to address as “thou,” especially during an era of historical English when “thou” was distinguished as an informal form of you.

   It would have been scandalous for household staff to thou the lord of the manor.

verb (used without object)

1. to use “thou” in discourse.

   There are still Quakers who thou as a matter of custom.

thou

²

[thou]

noun

Slang.

plural

thous ,

plural

thou .

1. one thousand dollars, pounds, etc.

thou

¹

/ ðaʊ /

pronoun

1. archaic,  refers to the person addressed: used mainly in familiar address or to a younger person or inferior

2. (usually capital) refers to God when addressed in prayer, etc

thou

²

/ θaʊ /

noun

1. one thousandth of an inch. 1 thou is equal to 0.0254 millimetre

2. informal,  short for thousand

Word History and Origins

Origin of thou¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English thū; cognate with German, Middle Dutch du, Old Norse thū, Gothic thu, Old Irish tú, Welsh, Cornish ti, Latin tū, Doric Greek tý, Lithuanian tù, Old Church Slavonic ty; akin to Sanskrit tvam; (verb) late Middle English thowen, derivative of the pronoun

Origin of thou²

First recorded in 1865–70; by shortening

Word History and Origins

Origin of thou¹

Old English thū; related to Old Saxon thū, Old High German du, Old Norse thū, Latin tū, Doric Greek tu

Example Sentences

He offered words of wisdom for Thanksgiving: “Always do thy duty, which is best, leave unto the Lord the rest.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Because ye scared me parrot, ye scurvy brat!” the captain roared.

Read more on Literature

“Words cannot express what your music has meant to me. Thank you for everything, and fare thee well, indeed.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus declares of judgment as prison, “Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Faulting language used by some liberals as “holier than thou,” Obama argued that Democrats could remain true to their principles while respecting those with whom they disagreed.

Read more on Los Angeles Times