pronoun
thou
THOW/ðaʊ/
Archaic singular subject pronoun for the person being addressed.
Thou art welcome here, says the character in the historical play.
Etymology
Old English þu was the ordinary singular subject pronoun, not a specially religious form. As respectful plural you spread to general address, thou became restricted, surviving in dialects and archaic usage.
In context
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.
as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,
More examples
- The poem addresses its reader as thou.
- Thou hast kept thy promise, she says in the old-fashioned dialogue.
- He uses thou when addressing one person in the verse.
Forms
thou · thee · thy · thine · thyself
Similar words
- you
- The usual modern pronoun for the person addressed.