Adjacent Words

Thou definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

THOU, pron. in the obj. thee. The second personal pronoun, in the singular number; the pronoun which is used in addressing persons in the solemn style.
Art thou he that should come? Matthew 11.
I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Psalms 23.
Thou is used only in the solemn style, unless in very familiar language, and by the Quakers.
THOU, v.t. To treat with familiarity.
If thou thouest him some thrice, it shall not be amiss.
THOU, v.i. To use thou and thee in discourse.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100 [syn: thousand, one thousand, 1000, M, K, chiliad, G, grand, thou, yard]

Merriam Webster's

I. pronoun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English th?; akin to Old High German d? thou, Latin tu, Greek sy Date: before 12th century archaic the one addressed <thou shalt have no other gods before me — Exodus
20:3(Authorized 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 II. transitive verb Date: 15th century to address as thou III. noun (plural thou) Etymology: short for thousand Date: 1867 a thousand of something (as dollars) <paid 25 thou for the car>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. pron. (obj. thee; poss. thy or thine; pl. ye or you) second person singular pronoun, now replaced by you except in some formal, liturgical, dialect, and poetic uses. Etymology: OE thu f. Gmc 2. n. (pl. same or thous) colloq. 1 a thousand. 2 one thousandth. Etymology: abbr.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Personal Per"son*al, a. [L. personalis: cf. F. personnel.] 1. Pertaining to human beings as distinct from things. Every man so termed by way of personal difference. --Hooker. 2. Of or pertaining to a particular person; relating to, or affecting, an individual, or each of many individuals; peculiar or proper to private concerns; not public or general; as, personal comfort; personal desire. The words are conditional, -- If thou doest well, -- and so personal to Cain. --Locke. 3. Pertaining to the external or bodily appearance; corporeal; as, personal charms. --Addison. 4. Done in person; without the intervention of another. ``Personal communication.'' --Fabyan. The immediate and personal speaking of God. --White. 5. Relating to an individual, his character, conduct, motives, or private affairs, in an invidious and offensive manner; as, personal reflections or remarks. 6. (Gram.) Denoting person; as, a personal pronoun. Personal action (Law), a suit or action by which a man claims a debt or personal duty, or damages in lieu of it; or wherein he claims satisfaction in damages for an injury to his person or property, or the specific recovery of goods or chattels; -- opposed to real action. Personal equation. (Astron.) See under Equation. Personal estate or property (Law), movables; chattels; -- opposed to real estate or property. It usually consists of things temporary and movable, including all subjects of property not of a freehold nature. Personal identity (Metaph.), the persistent and continuous unity of the individual person, which is attested by consciousness. Personal pronoun (Gram.), one of the pronouns I, thou, he, she, it, and their plurals. Personal representatives (Law), the executors or administrators of a person deceased. Personal rights, rights appertaining to the person; as, the rights of a personal security, personal liberty, and private property. Personal tithes. See under Tithe. Personal verb (Gram.), a verb which is modified or inflected to correspond with the three persons.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thou Thou, v. t. To address as thou, esp. to do so in order to treat with insolent familiarity or contempt. If thou thouest him some thrice, it shall not be amiss. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thou Thou, pron. [Sing.: nom. Thou; poss. Thyor Thine; obj. Thee. Pl.: nom. You; poss. Youror Yours; obj. You.] [OE. thou, [thorn]u, AS. [eth][=u], [eth]u; akin to OS. & OFries. thu, G., Dan. & Sw. du, Icel. [thorn][=u], Goth. [thorn]u, Russ. tui, Ir. & Gael. tu, W. ti, L. tu, Gr. sy`, Dor. ty`, Skr. tvam. [root]185. Cf. Thee, Thine, Te Deum.] The second personal pronoun, in the singular number, denoting the person addressed; thyself; the pronoun which is used in addressing persons in the solemn or poetical style. Art thou he that should come? --Matt. xi. 3. Note: ``In Old English, generally, thou is the language of a lord to a servant, of an equal to an equal, and expresses also companionship, love, permission, defiance, scorn, threatening: whilst ye is the language of a servant to a lord, and of compliment, and further expresses honor, submission, or entreaty.'' --Skeat. Note: Thou is now sometimes used by the Friends, or Quakers, in familiar discourse, though most of them corruptly say thee instead of thou.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thou Thou, pron. [Sing.: nom. Thou; poss. Thyor Thine; obj. Thee. Pl.: nom. You; poss. Youror Yours; obj. You.] [OE. thou, [thorn]u, AS. [eth][=u], [eth]u; akin to OS. & OFries. thu, G., Dan. & Sw. du, Icel. [thorn][=u], Goth. [thorn]u, Russ. tui, Ir. & Gael. tu, W. ti, L. tu, Gr. sy`, Dor. ty`, Skr. tvam. [root]185. Cf. Thee, Thine, Te Deum.] The second personal pronoun, in the singular number, denoting the person addressed; thyself; the pronoun which is used in addressing persons in the solemn or poetical style. Art thou he that should come? --Matt. xi. 3. Note: ``In Old English, generally, thou is the language of a lord to a servant, of an equal to an equal, and expresses also companionship, love, permission, defiance, scorn, threatening: whilst ye is the language of a servant to a lord, and of compliment, and further expresses honor, submission, or entreaty.'' --Skeat. Note: Thou is now sometimes used by the Friends, or Quakers, in familiar discourse, though most of them corruptly say thee instead of thou.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thou Thou, v. i. To use the words thou and thee in discourse after the manner of the Friends. [R.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Thou is an old-fashioned, poetic, or religious word for 'you' when you are talking to only one person. It is used as the subject of a verb. PRON see also holier-than-thou