thou

1 of 3

pronoun

ˈt͟hau̇ How to pronounce thou (audio)
archaic
: the one addressed
thou shalt have no other gods before me—Exodus 20:3 (King James Version)
—used especially in ecclesiastical or literary language and by Friends as the universal form of address to one person compare thee, thine, thy, ye, you

thou

2 of 3

verb

thoued; thouing; thous

transitive verb

: to address as thou

thou

3 of 3

noun

ˈthau̇ How to pronounce thou (audio)
plural thou
: a thousand of something (such as dollars)
paid 25 thou for the car

Examples of thou in a Sentence

Noun She earns more than a hundred thou a year.

Word History

Etymology

Pronoun

Middle English, from Old English thū; akin to Old High German dū thou, Latin tu, Greek sy, Sanskrit tvam (dative tubhyam/te, accusative tvām/tvā)

Noun

short for thousand

First Known Use

Pronoun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thou was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing thou

Dictionary Entries Near thou

those were the days

thou

though

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Thou.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thou. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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Kids Definition

thou

1 of 2 pronoun
(ˈ)t͟hau̇ How to pronounce thou (audio)
archaic
: the person addressed

thou

2 of 2 noun
ˈthau̇
plural thou
: a thousand of something (as dollars)
paid 15 thou for the car

More from Merriam-Webster on thou

Nglish: Translation of thou for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of thou for Arabic Speakers

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