English - Pronunciation

• enPR: thē, IPA^(key): /ðiː/
• Rhymes: -iː
• Homophone: the (when stressed)

English - Etymology 1

From Middle English thee, the, from Old English þē (“thee”, originally dative, but later also accusative), from Proto-Germanic *þiz (“thee”), from Proto-Indo-European *te (“second-person singular pronoun”). Cognate with German Low German du (“thee”), German dir (“thee”, dative pron.), Icelandic þér (“thee”). More at thou.

Pronoun

thee (second-person singular, objective case, nominative thou, reflexive thyself)

1. (archaic, literary) Objective case of thou.
   • 1598, Shakespeare, Henry IV part 1, 1.2.49-50:

     Prince Henry: Did I ever call for thee to pay thy part?

     Falstaff: No; I'll give thee thy due, thou hast paid all there.

2. (Quaker, Amish, Pennsylvania Dutch English) Thou.
   • Thee is a little strange, I think.

Usage notes

When used in place of the nominative thou, thee uses the third-person singular form of verbs (see example at "quotations").

Translations

Verb

thee (third-person singular simple present thees, present participle theeing, simple past and past participle theed)

1. (transitive) To address (somebody) as "thee"; to thou.

See also

Statistics

English - Etymology 2

From Middle English theen (“to increase, prosper, flourish”), from Old English þēon (“to thrive, prosper, flourish, grow”), from Proto-Germanic *þinhaną (“to thrive, succeed”), from Proto-Indo-European *tenk-, *tenkh- (“to succeed, turn out well”). Cognate with Dutch gedijen (“to flourish, thrive, prosper, succeed”), German gedeihen (“to thrive”), Gothic [script needed] (gaþeihan, “to increase, thrive”).

Alternative forms

• the (Scotland)

Verb

thee (third-person singular simple present thees, present participle theeing, simple past and past participle theed)

1. (intransitive, archaic, literary, UK dialectal) To thrive; prosper.
   • Spenser

     Well mote thee, as well can wish your thought.

Derived terms

• theedom

English - Etymology 3

From Pitman zee, which it is related to phonetically and graphically, and the sound it represents.

Noun

thee (plural thees)

1. The name of the letter ⟨(⟩, which stands for the th sound IPA^(key): /ð/ in Pitman shorthand.

Related terms

• ith
• eth, the name of the IPA letter for this sound

English - Anagrams

• ethe

Dutch - Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eː
• IPA^(key): /teː/

Dutch - Noun

thee m (plural theeën, diminutive theetje n)

1. tea

Derived terms

• theeglas
• theelepel

Dutch - Anagrams

• heet, hete

Scots - Etymology

From Old English þēoh, from Proto-Germanic *þeuhą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *teuk-.

Scots - Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /θiː/

Scots - Noun

thee (plural thees)

1. thigh

Rima