¹thou

pronoun \ˈthau̇\

—used as a singular form of “you” when it is the subject of a verb

Full Definition of THOU

archaic

: the one addressed <thou shalt have no other gods before me — Exodus 20:3(Authorized Version)> —used especially in ecclesiastical or literary language and by Friends as the universal form of address to one person — compare thee, thine, thy, ye, you

See thou defined for English-language learners

See thou defined for kids

Origin of THOU

Middle English, from Old English thū; akin to Old High German dū thou, Latin tu, Greek sy

First Known Use: before 12th century

Rhymes with THOU

bough, bow, brow, Chao, chow, ciao, cow, dhow, Dou, dow, Dow, Frau, hao, how, howe, jow, Lao, Liao, mow, now, ow, plow, pow, prau, prow, Rao, row, scow, slough, sough, sow, Tao, tau, vow, wow

²thou

transitive verb

Definition of THOU

: to address as thou

First Known Use of THOU

15th century

³thou

noun \ˈthau̇\

: a thousand dollars

plural thou

Full Definition of THOU

: a thousand of something (as dollars) <paid 25 thou for the car>

See thou defined for English-language learners

Origin of THOU

short for thousand

First Known Use: 1867

THOU Defined for Kids

thou

pronoun \ˈthau̇\

Definition of THOU for Kids

: you <“But can thou do a true enchantment?” — Jon Scieszka, Knights of the Kitchen Table> Hint:Thou is a very old word that still appears in books and sayings from long ago. People also use it to imitate that old way of speaking.