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þa. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
þa, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
þa in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
þa you have here. The definition of the word
þa will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
þa, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *þai, which shares the same root as Old English þæt.
Pronunciation
Article
þā m or f or n
- inflection of se:
- accusative feminine singular
- nominative/accusative plural
Determiner
þā m or f or n
- inflection of sē:
- accusative feminine singular
- nominative/accusative plural
Pronoun
þā m or f or n
- inflection of sē:
- accusative feminine singular
- nominative/accusative plural
Descendants
Adverb
þā
- then
- 981 C.E. AS Chronicles:
Her comon ærest þa VII scipu and gehergoden Hamtun- then in this year first came 7 ships, and ravaged Southampton
Usage notes
- Generally only used for past-tense statements. In non-past-tense clauses, þonne is used instead.
- When used as an adverb, þā is frequently used as the first element of the clause, with the finite verb immediately following it as the second, although exceptions exist.
Conjunction
þā
- when, since, because, where
- early 11th century C.E. Ælfwine’s Prayerbook:
hio wæs feowortyne geara eald þa hio Crist acende- she was 14 years old when she gave birth to Christ
Usage notes
- Does not mean "when" in the interrogative sense. For questions, hwonne is used instead.
- Generally only used for past-tense statements. For "when" in non-past-tense clauses, þonne is used instead.
- Often doubled as þā þā to avoid confusion with the adverb.
- When used as a conjunction, the verb in the following clause typically does not occur immediately after þā (often being found at the end of the clause), unlike when it is used as an adverb.