thou

Archaic singular address

Thou is the archaic second-person singular pronoun, now replaced by "you" in standard English.

It survives in religious contexts Thou shalt not kill, historical fiction, and some regional dialects.

Thou was once the intimate or familiar form—used with family, close friends, or social inferiors—while "you" showed respect or distance.

The verb forms that followed thou (art, hast, dost) have similarly faded.

As a noun, thou is slang for a thousand, especially dollars: The repair cost me two thou.

biblical

scripture

Sacred religious writings

testamentWritten proof or legacy
covenantBinding formal pledge
commandmentsAuthoritative rules demanding compliance

Psalms · prayer · Lord · worship · supplication · devotion · reverence · praise · sermon · hymn

archaic

thyself

Archaic reflexive pronoun

yeArchaic second-person plural
hastArchaic form of have
dothArchaic third-person singular

art · wilt · shalt · whence · wherefore · ere · betwixt · nay · verily · fain

literary

Shakespeare

Elizabethan dramatist and poet

ElizabethanOf late 1500s England
sonnetFourteen-line metered poem
soliloquyDramatic speech to oneself

verse · poetry · ode · elegy · ballad · stanza · rhyme · meter · couplet · apostrophe

intimate

beloved

One who is treasured

dearTreasured or costly
cherishedHeld dear, prized
familiarKnown from experience

tender · affectionate · close · personal · devotion · endearment · sweetheart · darling · lover · confidant

Categories

old-fashioned wordsforsooth, hark, betwixt, hither, prithee
Old-timey wordsicebox, gramophone, phonograph, horseless carriage, aeroplane
Archaismsye, hath, doth, dost, hast
Olde Englishhath, doth, ere, hither, thither
archaic Englishye, hath, doth, dost, thyself
archaic wordstis, twas, hath, twere, ye

Opposites

formality/social distance

thouyou

The person addressed

ye · Your Majesty · Your Honor · Your Grace · sir

temporal register

thouyou

The person addressed

ye · y'all · you guys · you all · ya

Phrases

holier than thouSmugly morally superior
thou shalt notArchaic command against
penny for your thoughtsInvitation to speak up

Family

Familiarity: Top 200,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G