þe

See also: Appendix:Variations of "the"

Gothic

Romanization

þē

Romanization of 𐌸𐌴

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English þē (“the; he”), a late variant of sē, the þ- from the oblique stem replacing the earlier s-, which occurred in the nominative singular masculine and feminine only.

Alternative forms

the, thi, thy, þᵉ, þi, þy

Pronunciation

(stressed) IPA^(key): /θeː/, /ðeː/
(unstressed) IPA^(key): /ðɛ/, /ði/, /ð/^[1]^[2]
(after /t/, /d/, especially early) IPA^(key): /teː/, /tɛ/

Article

þe

the^[3]
- 1420, The British Museum Additional MS, 12,056, “Wounds complicated by the Dislocation of a Bone”, in Robert von Fleischhacker, editor, Lanfranc's "Science of cirurgie."‎^[1], London: K. Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co, translation of original by Lanfranc of Milan, published 1894, →ISBN, page 63:
  Ne take noon hede to brynge togidere þe parties of þe boon þat is to-broken or dislocate, til viij. daies ben goon in þe wyntir, & v. in þe somer; for þanne it schal make quytture, and be sikir from swellynge; & þanne brynge togidere þe brynkis eiþer þe disiuncture after þe techynge þat schal be seid in þe chapitle of algebra.
  Don't bring the two pieces of the bone that is broken or dislocated together until 8 days have passed if it's winter or 5 days if it's summer; otherwise it will make pus and be sicker from swelling. After the time has passed bring together the pieces or the dislocation according to the teaching that shall be said in the chapter entitled Algebra.
- 1431, A rem' that William Baker, Pewtrer, & John Hetheman [made] the first day of May, þ^e ȝere of kynge herry þe vj^e, after þe conquest x^e. — Henry Littlehales (editor), The Medieval Records of a London City Church, page 26.

Descendants

English: the
Fingallian: tha
Scots: the
Yola: a

Etymology 2

From Old English þē (“you, thee”), accusative and dative form of þū.

Alternative forms

the, þee, thee, ðe, þi, thi, þy, thy, thie, þeo, te, þhe, de, thei, yhe, ye

Pronunciation

(stressed) IPA^(key): /θeː/, /ðeː/
(unstressed) IPA^(key): /ðɛ/, /ði/^[1]^[2]
(after /t/) IPA^(key): /teː/, /tɛ/

Pronoun

þe (nominative þou)

Second-person singular pronoun indicating a grammatical object: thee, you.^[4]

Descendants

English: thee
Yola: thee

Etymology 3

Pronoun

þe

Alternative form of þei (“they”)

Etymology 4

Verb

þe

Alternative form of theen^[1]

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Brink, Daniel (1992) “Variation between <þ-> and <t-> in the Ormulum”, in Irmengard Rauch, Gerald F. Carr and Robert L. Kyes, editors, On Germanic Linguistics: Issues and Methods (Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs; 68), De Gruyter Mouton, →DOI, →ISBN, pages 21-35.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Thurber, Beverly A. (2011 February 15) “Voicing of Initial Interdental Fricatives in Early Middle English Function Words”, in Journal of Germanic Linguistics, volume 23, number 1, Cambridge University Press, →DOI, pages 65-81.
^ “thẹ̄̆, def. art.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
^ “the, pron.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 5 May 2018.

Old English

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *þa, from Proto-Indo-European *tó.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /θe/

Particle

þe (indeclinable, relative)

that, who, which
- Ne fyrhteð þa þe on synnum lyfiað. ― Do not fear those who live in sin. (Ælfwine's Prayerbook)
- 10th century, The Wanderer:
  sōhte seledrēoriġ · sinces bryttan,
  hwǣr iċ feor oþþe nēah · findan meahte
  þone þe in meoduhealle · mīne wisse
  sought hall-sad a giver of treasure,
  where I far or near could find
  who in a mead-hall would know my men

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *þiz.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /θeː/

Pronoun

þē

accusative/dative of þū: thee, to you

Usage notes

Originally only dative/instrumental. The Anglian dialects retained the inherited accusative form, þec.

Descendants

English: thee

Etymology 3

From earlier sē, through influence of the þ- forms.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /θeː/

Article

þē m

(demonstrative) the, he: late variant of se

Descendants

Middle English: þe, the, thi, thy, þᵉ, þi, þy
- English: the
- Fingallian: tha
- Scots: the
- Yola: a

Etymology 4

Conjunction

þe

or (correlated to hwæþer)
- late 10th century, Ælfric, "The Seven Sleepers"
  ...ac mē tōdæġ swā wundorlīce is ġelumpen þæt ic þurh nān þincg ne mæġ ġecnāwan hwæðer þys sȳ Ephesa byriġ þe elles ǣniġ ōþer;...
  But to-day it has befallen me so wonderfully that I cannot by any means recognise whether this be the city of the Ephesians or else any other.

[Brink-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Brink, Daniel (1992) “Variation between <þ-> and <t-> in the Ormulum”, in Irmengard Rauch, Gerald F. Carr and Robert L. Kyes, editors, On Germanic Linguistics: Issues and Methods (Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs; 68), De Gruyter Mouton, →DOI, →ISBN, pages 21-35.

[Thurber-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Thurber, Beverly A. (2011 February 15) “Voicing of Initial Interdental Fricatives in Early Middle English Function Words”, in Journal of Germanic Linguistics, volume 23, number 1, Cambridge University Press, →DOI, pages 65-81.

[3] “thẹ̄̆, def. art.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

[4] “the, pron.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 5 May 2018.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

			nominative	accusative	dative	genitive	possessive
singular	1st-person		I, ich, ik	me		min mi¹	min
	2nd-person		þou	þe		þin þi¹	þin
	3rd-person	m	he	him hine²	him	his	his hisen
		f	sche, heo	hire heo	hire		hire hires, hiren
		n	hit		hit him²	his, hit	—
dual³	1st-person		wit	unk		unker
dual³	2nd-person		ȝit	inc		inker
plural	1st-person		we	us, ous		oure	oure oures, ouren
	2nd-person⁴		ye	yow		your	your youres, youren
	3rd-person	inh.	he	hem he²	hem	here	here heres, heren
	3rd-person	bor.	þei	þem, þeim		þeir	þeir þeires, þeiren