Where does “thank-you” come from?
thank-you (English) comes from English You, from Middle English yow, from Old English ēow, from Proto-West Germanic iwwiz, from Proto-Germanic izwiz, from Proto-Germanic *jūz, from Proto-Indo-European túh₂ — you, thou.
thank-you (English): An expression of gratitude; That expresses thanks
Definitions
- An expression of gratitude; That expresses thanks
Ancestry of “thank-you”, step by step
thank-you traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English You
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | You | Honorific alternative letter-case form of you,... |
| 2 | Middle English | yow | Second-person plural object pronoun: you;... |
| 3 | Old English | ēow | Wo!, Alas!; sheep |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | iwwiz | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | izwiz | accusative/dative/instrumental of *jūz |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *jūz | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | túh₂ | you, thou |