þu
See also: -þu, þú, and thu
Gothic
Romanization
þū
- Romanization of 𐌸𐌿
Middle English
Pronoun
þu
- Alternative form of þou (“thou”)
Old English
Alternative forms
- ðū
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *þū, from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂.
Cognate with Old Frisian thū, Old Saxon thū, Old Dutch thū, Old High German dū, Old Norse þú, Gothic 𐌸𐌿 (þū). Non-Germanic cognates include Latin tū and Ancient Greek σύ (sú).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /θuː/
Pronoun
þū
- you, thou (nominative singular)
Usage notes
Unlike later (Middle and Early Modern) usage of "thou", Old English þū was simply a singular pronoun, with no connotation of informality or disrespect.
Declension
Old English personal pronouns
| nominative | accusative | dative | genitive | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| singular | first person | iċ | mec, mē | mē | mīn | |
| second person | þū | þec, þē | þē | þīn | ||
| third person | masculine | hē | hine | him | his | |
| feminine | hēo | hīe | hiere | hiere | ||
| neuter | hit | hit | him | his | ||
| dual | first person | wit | uncit | unc | uncer | |
| second person | ġit | incit | inc | incer | ||
| plural | first person | wē | ūsic | ūs | ūser, ūre | |
| second person | ġē | ēowic | ēow | ēower | ||
| third person | hīe | hīe | him | heora | ||
Descendants
- Middle English: þou, thou, þu, thu, þoue, thoue, þowe, thowe, þouȝ, thouȝ, þue, ðhu, þeu, þeou, thugh, thogh, þo, tu, tou, towe, you
- English: thou, tha; thow, thu, du
- Scots: thou, du, thoo
- Yola: thou, th'
Old Swedish
Etymology
From Old Norse þú, from Proto-Germanic *þū, from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂.
Pronoun
þū
- thou
Declension
Old Swedish personal pronouns
| first person | second person | reflexive | third person | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | ||||
| singular | ||||||
| nominative | iak, iæk | þū | — | han | hōn | þæt |
| accusative | mik | þik | sik | han | hana, hōna | þæt |
| dative | mǣ(r), mik | þǣ(r), þik | sǣ(r), sik | hōnum, hānum | hænni | þȳ, þī |
| genitive | mīn | þīn | sīn | hans | hænna(r) | þæs |
| dual | ||||||
| nominative | vit | it | — | — | — | — |
| accusative | oker | *iker | sik | — | — | — |
| dative | oker | *iker | sǣr, sik | — | — | — |
| genitive | okar | *ikar | sīn | — | — | — |
| plural | ||||||
| nominative | vī(r) | ī(r) | — | þē(r) | þā(r) | þø̄n, þē(n) |
| accusative | os, ōs | iþer | sik | þā | þā(r) | þø̄n, þē(n) |
| dative | os, ōs | iþer | sǣr, sik | þēm, þø̄m, þom | þēm, þø̄m, þom | þēm, þø̄m, þom |
| genitive | vār | iþar | sīn | þēra | þēra | þēra |
Descendants
- Swedish: du