Etymograph

English

thee

Thee comes from Proto-Indo-European *te ‘second-person singular pronoun’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*te‘second-person singular pronoun’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*þizreconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150þē
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500þe
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1598thee

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*te‘second-person singular pronoun’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*þizreconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150þē
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500þe
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1598thee

Earliest quotation: 1598, William Shakespeare, Henry IV part 1: “Prince Henry: Did I ever call for thee to…”

Linked words

through Middle English þe

the, ye

Today it means

pron Objective and reflexive case of thou.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *te / thee

Shirt and support for this word