thou

/ðau/

Thân thiện

A thousand stars twinkle in the clear night sky.

Definition

1. Pronoun (Archaic):
   • The second person singular subjective pronoun: "Thou" is an archaic pronoun used to address one person directly, equivalent to the modern "you" when speaking to a single person. It was used in familiar, informal, or intimate contexts, often contrasting with the more formal "you" (which was originally the plural or objective form).

Usage

• Subjective Case: "Thou" is used as the subject of a verb.
  • Example: "Thou art my friend." (You are my friend.)
  • Example: "Where art thou going?" (Where are you going?)
• Archaic/Formal Contexts: It is now almost exclusively found in historical texts, poetry, religious scriptures (like the King James Bible), Shakespearean plays, and certain ceremonial or dialectal uses.
  • Example: "Thou shalt not steal." (You shall not steal.)

Advanced Usage

• Verb Conjugation: When using "thou," the corresponding verb often takes a specific archaic ending, typically "-st" or "-t".
  • Example: "Thou hast" (You have), "Thou dost" (You do), "Thou wert" (You were).
• Contrast with 'You': Historically, "thou" denoted familiarity, intimacy, or social inferiority, while "you" (originally 'ye' as subject, 'you' as object) denoted formality, plurality, or social superiority. Using "thou" incorrectly could be an insult.
  • Example: A servant might address a lord as "you," but the lord might address the servant as "thou."

Variants and Related Words

• Thee (pronoun, objective case): The archaic objective form of "thou," equivalent to modern "you" as an object.
  • Example: "I give this to thee." (I give this to you.)
• Thy (determiner): The archaic possessive determiner, equivalent to modern "your" (used before a consonant).
  • Example: "Thy kingdom come." (Your kingdom come.)
• Thine (determiner/pronoun): The archaic possessive form, equivalent to modern "yours" or "your" (used before a vowel or as a standalone pronoun).
  • Example: "To thine own self be true." (To your own self be true.)
• Thyself (pronoun, reflexive): The archaic reflexive form, equivalent to modern "yourself."
  • Example: "Know thyself."

Synonyms

• You (modern standard equivalent for both singular and plural address).

Notes on Different Meanings

• Homograph - 'Thou' as Noun: The word "thou" is also a rare, informal noun meaning a thousand, especially a thousand pounds sterling or dollars.
  • Example: "He earns fifty thou a year." (He earns fifty thousand a year.)
  • Important: This is a separate, slang meaning and is not related to the archaic pronoun. It is a shortened form of "thousand."

Học thuật

Noun

1. the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100