þe

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "the"

Gothic

Romanization

þē

  1. Romanization of 𐌸𐌴

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English þē (“the; he”), a late variant of sē, the þ- from the oblique stem replacing the earlier s-, which occurred in the nominative singular masculine and feminine only.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • (stressed) IPA(key): /θeː/, /ðeː/
  • (unstressed) IPA(key): /ðɛ/, /ði/, /ð/
  • (after /t/, /d/, especially early) IPA(key): /teː/, /tɛ/

Article

þe

  2. the
    • 1420, The British Museum Additional MS, 12,056, “Wounds complicated by the Dislocation of a Bone”, in Robert von Fleischhacker, editor, Lanfranc's "Science of cirurgie."‎, London: K. Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co, translation of original by Lanfranc of Milan, published 1894, →ISBN, page 63:
      Ne take noon hede to brynge togidere þe parties of þe boon þat is to-broken or dislocate, til viij. daies ben goon in þe wyntir, & v. in þe somer; for þanne it schal make quytture, and be sikir from swellynge; & þanne brynge togidere þe brynkis eiþer þe disiuncture after þe techynge þat schal be seid in þe chapitle of algebra.
      Don't bring the two pieces of the bone that is broken or dislocated together until 8 days have passed if it's winter or 5 days if it's summer; otherwise it will make pus and be sicker from swelling. After the time has passed bring together the pieces or the dislocation according to the teaching that shall be said in the chapter entitled Algebra.
    • 1431, A rem' that William Baker, Pewtrer, & John Hetheman the first day of May, þe ȝere of kynge herry þe vje, after þe conquest xe. — Henry Littlehales (editor), The Medieval Records of a London City Church, page 26.
Descendants
  • English: the
  • Scots: the
  • Yola: a

Etymology 2

From Old English þē (“you, thee”), accusative and dative form of þū.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • (stressed) IPA(key): /θeː/, /ðeː/
  • (unstressed) IPA(key): /ðɛ/, /ði/
  • (after /t/) IPA(key): /teː/, /tɛ/

Pronoun

þe (nominative þou)

  2. Second-person singular pronoun indicating a grammatical object: thee, you.
Descendants
See also
Middle English personal pronouns
nominative accusative dative genitive possessive
singular 1st-person I, ich, ik me min
mi1		 min
2nd-person þou þe þin
þi1		 þin
3rd-person m he him
hine2		 him his his
hisen
f sche, heo hire
heo 		hire hire
hires, hiren
n hit hit
him2		 his, hit —
dual3 1st-person wit unk unker
2nd-person ȝit inc inker
plural 1st-person we us, ous oure oure
oures, ouren
2nd-person4 ye yow your your
youres, youren
3rd-person inh. he hem
he2		 hem here here
heres, heren
bor. þei þem, þeim þeir þeir
þeires, þeiren

1Used preconsonantally or before h.
2Early or dialectal.
3Dual pronouns are only sporadically found in Early Middle English; after that, they are replaced by plural forms. There are no third-person dual forms in Middle English.
4Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Etymology 3

Pronoun

þe

  1. Alternative form of þei (“they”)

Etymology 4

Verb

þe

  1. Alternative form of theen

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Brink, Daniel (1992) “Variation between <þ-> and <t-> in the Ormulum”, in Irmengard Rauch, Gerald F. Carr and Robert L. Kyes, editors, On Germanic Linguistics: Issues and Methods (Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs; 68), De Gruyter Mouton, →DOI, →ISBN, pages 21-35.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Thurber, Beverly A. (2011 February 15) “Voicing of Initial Interdental Fricatives in Early Middle English Function Words”, in Journal of Germanic Linguistics, volume 23, number 1, Cambridge University Press, →DOI, pages 65-81.
  3. ^ “thẹ̄̆, def. art.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  4. ^ “the, pron.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 5 May 2018.

Old English

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *þa, from Proto-Indo-European *tó.

Pronunciation

Particle

þe (indeclinable, relative)

  1. that, who, which
    • Ne fyrhteð þa þe on synnum lyfiað. ― Do not fear those who live in sin. (Ælfwine's Prayerbook)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *þiz.

Pronunciation

Pronoun

þē

  1. accusative/dative of þū: thee, to you
Usage notes
  • Originally only dative/instrumental. The Anglian dialects have retained the inherited accusative form, þec.
Descendants

Etymology 3

From earlier sē, through influence of the þ- forms.

Pronunciation

Article

þē m

  1. (demonstrative) the, he: late variant of se
Descendants

Etymology 4

Conjunction

þe

  1. or (correlated to hwæþer)
    • late 10th century, Ælfric, "The Seven Sleepers"
      ...ac mē tōdæġ swā wundorlīce is ġelumpen þæt ic þurh nān þincg ne mæġ ġecnāwan hwæðer þys sȳ Ephesa byriġ þe elles ǣniġ ōþer;...
      But to-day it has befallen me so wonderfully that I cannot by any means recognise whether this be the city of the Ephesians or else any other.
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