English
this
This comes from Middle English þis, from Old English þēs ‘this’, from Proto-Germanic *þat ‘that’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tód.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tódreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*þat‘that’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*þatreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150þēs‘this’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500þis
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606this
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tódreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*þat‘that’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*þatreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150þēs‘this’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500þis
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606this
Earliest quotation: c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of King Lear: “This is the excellent foppery of the world, that,…”
Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *tód
Today it means
det The (thing) here (used in indicating something or someone nearby).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *tód / this