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þem. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
þem, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
þem in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
þem you have here. The definition of the word
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þem, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Middle English
Alternative forms
- them, þeim, þeime, þeym, þeyme, þeme, þaim, þaime, þaym, þayme, þam, þame, þeȝȝm
- þaem, yem, yam, yame, yham (Northern)
- yem, yam, yame, yham (northeast Midland)
- taim, taym, tam (Northern, after t or d)
Etymology 1
From Old Norse þeim. Compare hem (“them”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /θɛi̯m/, /ðɛi̯m/, (originally unstressed) /ðɛm/
Pronoun
þem (nominative þei)
- Third-person plural accusative pronoun: them
1430–1440, “II. Playsterers. The Creation, to the Fifth Day.”, in Lucy Toulmin Smith, editor, York Plays: The Plays Performed by the Crafts or Mysteries of York on the Day of Corpus Christi in the 14th, 15th, and 16th Centuries: , Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, published 1885, →OCLC, page 9, lines 17–20:Þe water I will set / to flowe bothe fare and nere, / And þhan þe firmament, / in mydis to set þame sere.- The water I will set / to flow both far and near, / And then the firmament, / in their midst to set them sere .
- (reflexive) themselves
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.
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ “theim, pron.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Etymology 2
Determiner
þem
- (Southwest) Alternative form of þan (“the, that, this”)
Etymology 3
Noun
þem (plural þemes)
- Alternative form of teme (“family, tribe”)
Etymology 4
Noun
þem (third-person singular simple present þemeþ, present participle þemende, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle þemed)
- Alternative form of temen (“to produce offspring”)