English
the-
The- comes from Latin theos ‘god’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰéh₁s‘god, godhead, deity’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁sósreconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*tʰehós‘god, deity’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθεόςtheós‘god’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtheos‘god’
- Englishtodaythe-
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰéh₁s‘god, godhead, deity’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁sósreconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*tʰehós‘god, deity’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθεόςtheós‘god’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtheos‘god’
- Englishtodaythe-
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’
do, fact, deal, hot, defense, fan, benefit, fashion, feature, mid, defence, custom, sufficient, treasury, treasure, ethnic, defendant, theme, doom, ethical, tick, deed, aesthetic, synthetic, auditorium, auditor, thesis, demi, deem, spade, forfeit, familial, medial, ethic, medallion, prefect, certify, ethos, duma, spatula, 113 more
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s ‘god, godhead, deity’
fair, feast, dis, feral, fanatic, profanity, profane, fane, fayre, 21 more
through Proto-Hellenic *tʰehós ‘god, deity’
polytheism, pantheism, 14 more
through Ancient Greek θεός ‘god’
theology, atheist, atheism, monotheism, apotheosis, theism, theist, 16 more
Today it means
prefix god or deity
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- / the-