thou

Definitions

1. 1.Note: "In Old English, generally, thou is the language of a lord to a servant, of an equal to an equal, and expresses also companionship, love, permission, defiance, scorn, threatening: whilst ye is the language of a servant to a lord, and of compliment, and further expresses honor, submission, or entreaty." Skeat. Note: Thou is now sometimes used by the Friends, or Quakers, in familiar discourse, though most of them corruptly say thee instead of thou.
2. 2.To address as thou, esp. to do so in order to treat with insolent familiarity or contempt. If thou thouest him some thrice, it shall not be amiss. Shak.
3. 3.To use the words thou and thee in discourse after the manner of the Friends. [R.]

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Related questions

• What does "thou" mean?
• What is another word for "thou"?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is thou.

• What is to address as thou, esp. to do so in order to treat with insolent familiarity or contempt. If thou thouest him some thrice, it shall not be amiss. Shak called?
• What is to use the words thou and thee in discourse after the manner of the Friends. [R.] called?