thou
pronunciation
How to pronounce thou in British English:
UK [ðaʊ]
How to pronounce thou in American English:
US [ðaʊ]
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- Noun:
- the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
Word Origin
- thou (pron.)
- 2nd nominative singular personal pronoun, Old English þu, from Proto-Germanic *thu (cognates: Old Frisian thu, Middle Dutch and Middle Low German du, Old High German and German du, Old Norse þu, Gothic þu), from PIE *tu-, second person singular pronoun (cognates: Latin tu, Irish tu, Welsh ti, Greek su, Lithuanian tu, Old Church Slavonic ty, Sanskrit twa-m). Superseded in Middle English by plural form you (from a different root), but retained in certain dialects (e.g. early Quakers). The plural at first was used in addressing superior individuals, later also (to err on the side of propriety) strangers, and ultimately all equals. By c. 1450 the use of thou to address inferiors gave it a tinge of insult unless addressed by parents to children, or intimates to one another. Hence the verb meaning "to use 'thou' to a person" (mid-15c.). Avaunt, caitiff, dost thou thou me! I am come of good kin, I tell thee! ["Hickscorner," c. 1530] A brief history of the second person pronoun in English can be found here.
Example
- 1. Thou shalt pay down thy excessive debt .
- 2. Thou shalt not incur a structural deficit .
- 3. He was born to a wealthy family in philadelphia and , as a teenager , travelled round europe with his parents , whom he referred to formally as " thee " and " thou " .
- 4. When I was converted to digital photography ( sounds a bit evangelical , doesn 't it ? ) I quickly adopted one of the sacred orthodoxies of the creed : thou shalt not blow out highlights !
- 5. My poet , thou canst touch on all the notes