thy

[ th ahy ]

/ ðaɪ /

pronoun

the possessive case of thou (used as an attributive adjective before a noun beginning with a consonant sound): thy table.

Nearby words

Compare thine.

Origin of thy

1125–75; Middle English; variant of thine

thou

[ th ou ]

/ ðaʊ /

pronoun, singular, nominative thou; possessive thy or thine; objective thee; plural, nominative you or ye; possessive your or yours; objective you or ye.

Archaic except in some elevated or ecclesiastical prose. the personal pronoun of the second person singular in the nominative case (used to denote the person or thing addressed): Thou shalt not kill.

(used by the Friends) a familiar form of address of the second person singular.

verb (used with object)

to address as “thou.”

verb (used without object)

to use “thou” in discourse.

Origin of thou

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, OCS ty; akin to Sanskrit tvam; (v.) late Middle English thowen, derivative of the pronoun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for thy

Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee.
The Story of Noah's Ark From the Bible’s Book of Genesis|The Daily Beast|March 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thy lost to the big money funneled into the race by conservative super PACs.
Wisconsin’s Healthy Union Mess|John Avlon|September 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Indian or non-Indian,” he said, what counted was that everyone practiced the simple credo of “love thy neighbor.
‘Domestic Terrorism’ Kills Six in Oak Creek Sikh Temple|Ben Jacobs|August 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law Not to be confused with self-deport!
Mitt Romney Finds the Funny in ‘America the Beautiful’ (VIDEO)|Mark Katz|February 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Fool: All thy other titles, thou hast given away; that thou wast born with.
What Fresh Hell Is This?|Christopher Buckley|October 5, 2008|DAILY BEAST
Hide it not for my help, for my honour, but tell me, Lest my time and thy time be lost days and confusion!
Poems By The Way & Love Is Enough|William Morris
Brief time remains for thee to prepare for the impending stroke, to arrange thy affairs, and to take leave of thy friends.
Egmont|Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
But I see that thou art wont to commit thy understanding to the custody of thy wife.
'Midst the Wild Carpathians|Mr Jkai
Thy wife was persuading me of that, but now again I do not believe it.
Children of the Soil|Henryk Sienkiewicz
Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
The Apostles|Ernest Renan

British Dictionary definitions for thy

thy

/ (ðaɪ) /

determiner

(usually preceding a consonant) archaic belonging to or associated in some way with you (thou)thy goodness and mercy Compare thine

Word Origin for thy

C12: variant of thine

thou

/ (ðaʊ) /

pronoun (subjective)

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

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

Word Origin for thou

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

thou

/ (θaʊ) /

noun plural thous or thou

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

informal short for thousand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for thy

thy

pron.

possessive pronoun of 2nd person singular, late 12c., reduced form of þin (see thine), originally used before consonants except -h-. In 15c., used before vowels, too.

thou

pron.

2nd nominative singular personal pronoun, Old English þu, from Proto-Germanic *thu (cf. Old Frisian thu, Middle Dutch and Middle Low German du, Old High German and German du, Old Norse þu, Gothic þu), from PIE *tu-, second person singular pronoun (cf. Latin tu, Irish tu, Welsh ti, Greek su, Lithuanian tu, Old Church Slavonic ty, Sanskrit twa-m).

Superseded in Middle English by plural form you (from a different root), but retained in certain dialects (e.g. Philadelphia Quakers). The plural at first was used in addressing superior individuals, later also (to err on the side of propriety) strangers, and ultimately all equals. By c.1450 the use of thou to address inferiors gave it a tinge of insult unless addressed by parents to children, or intimates to one another. Hence the verb meaning "to use 'thou' to a person" (mid-15c.).

Avaunt, caitiff, dost thou thou me! I am come of good kin, I tell thee! ["Hickscorner," c.1530]

A brief history of the second person pronoun in English can be found here.

thy

pronoun

RELATED CONTENT

Nearby words

Origin of thy

thou

pronoun, singular, nominative thou; possessive thy or thine; objective thee; plural, nominative you or ye; possessive your or yours; objective you or ye.

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of thou

Examples from the Web for thy

thy

determiner

Word Origin for thy

thou

pronoun (subjective)

Word Origin for thou

thou

noun plural thous or thou

thy

thou