Etymograph

English

thou

Thou comes from Middle English thouen ‘to address someone with "thou", i.e. with…’, from þou ‘you (singular)’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*túh₂‘you, thou’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*þū‘you (singular), thou’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame form‘you (singular)’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150þū‘you, thou’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500þouas thou‘you (singular)’
  6. Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500thouen‘to address someone with "thou", i.e. with familiarity or informality’
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1530thou

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*túh₂‘you, thou’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*þū‘you (singular), thou’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame form‘you (singular)’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150þū‘you, thou’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500þouas thou‘you (singular)’
  6. Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500thouen‘to address someone with "thou", i.e. with familiarity or informality’
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1530thou

Earliest quotation: c. 1530, Hickscorner: “Avaunt, caitiff, dost thou thou me! / I am…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *túh₂ ‘you, thou’

thy

Today it means

verb To address (a person) using the pronoun thou, especially as an expression of contempt or familiarity.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *túh₂ / thou

Shirt and support for this word