thou

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pronoun \ˈthau̇\

Definition of thou

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

See thou defined for English-language learners

See thou defined for kids

Origin and Etymology of thou

Middle English, from Old English thū; akin to Old High German dū thou, Latin tu, Greek sy

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First Known Use: before 12th century

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thou

verb

Definition of thou

transitive verb
: to address as thou

First Known Use of thou

15th century

thou

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noun \ˈthau̇\

Definition of thou

plural

thou

: a thousand of something (such as dollars) paid 25 thou for the car

See thou defined for English-language learners

Examples of thou in a Sentence

She earns more than a hundred thou a year.

Recent Examples of thou from the Web

Imagine a bolt-on fiberglass kit that turns a modern Camaro into an inexact facsimile of a Wraith for 75 thou, car included.

— davey g. johnson, Car and Driver, "The Spirit of ’76: The Custom Cloud Was an Ersatz Rolls-Royce Out of Florida", 4 July 2017
Thou shalt not drive a golf cart onto a perfectly manicured golf green because man, those wheels can really mess up the grass and the way the ball rolls for putts.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity.com, "Trump commits a cardinal sin of golf, but hey, he does own the course", 23 June 2017
U2 have never entirely let go of their fixation – even Achtung Baby, the Berlin-and Dublin-made the 1991 masterpiece that did its best to explode the band’s holier-than-thou earnestness took cues from 24/7 American media immersion.

— dan deluca, Philly.com, "U2's 'Joshua Tree' was born into Ronald Reagan's America. Does it speak to Donald Trump's?", 15 June 2017
Thou shall not kill, except for votes in swing states.

— evan hill, The Atlantic, "The Dangers of Arming Autocrats", 13 June 2017
This holier-than-thou desire that everyone else must engage in some kind of 24-hour festival of grief is nothing more than self-flagellation.

— the tylt, OregonLive.com, "Is it inappropriate to say 'Happy Memorial Day'?", 25 May 2017
This holier-than-thou desire that everyone else must engage in some kind of 24-hour festival of grief is nothing more than self-flagellation.

— the tylt, AL.com, "Is it inappropriate to say 'Happy Memorial Day'?", 25 May 2017
What is necessary is law, law with thou-shalt-nots and punishments built in.

— paul sassone, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Do Oak Parkers really want to go where plastic bag ban could lead?", 17 May 2017
Thou shalt theme your tailgate food around the visiting rival.

— Southern Living, "The 10 Commandments of College Football Fandom", 1 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'thou'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of thou

short for thousand

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First Known Use: 1867

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THOU Defined for English Language Learners

thou

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pronoun

Definition of thou for English Language Learners

—used as a singular form of “you” when it is the subject of a verb

thou

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noun

Definition of thou for English Language Learners

: a thousand dollars

THOU Defined for Kids

thou

play

pronoun \ˈthau̇\

Definition of thou for Students

: you “But can thou do a true enchantment?” — Jon Scieszka, Knights of the Kitchen Table Hint: Thou is a very old word that still appears in books and sayings from long ago. People also use it to imitate that old way of speaking.