Where does “thee” come from?
Thee comes from Middle English the, derived from Old English þȳ and þæt, which trace back through Proto-Indo-European te, tód, and só to the root seh₁-.
thee (English): 1598, William Shakespeare, "Henry IV part 1",...
Definitions
- 1598, William Shakespeare, "Henry IV part 1",...
Ancestry of “thee”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | þe | the; Second-person singular pronoun indicating a... |
| 2 | Middle English | in | Any kind of accomodation; particularly; A home or... |
| 3 | Old English | inn | in; inn |
| 4 | Old English | inne | inside, in; indoors |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | innai | within, inside |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | in | in; into |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | én | in |