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thou

Other forms: thy; thee; ye; thine; thous

The word thou, used in place of "you," is not used much in modern language. In fact, with its Biblical feeling, it’s most often used in religious contexts. Otherwise, it might be used as slang for thousand.

Anyone familiar with the Bible knows the word thou means "you." As the word worked its way from Old English, it varied a little in its subtext, from a plural referring to higher-ups, then to equals, and, around 1450, as a slightly insulting reference suggesting inferiority. Today, it's used primarily by specific religious groups, or as a somewhat affected, archaic word in poetry. As a side note, if someone asks you for a thou, they mean a thousand dollars.

Definitions of thou
  1. noun
    the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
    synonyms: 1000, G, K, M, chiliad, grand, one thousand, thousand, yard
    see moresee less
    types:
    millenary
    a sum or aggregate of one thousand (especially one thousand years)
    type of:
    large integer
    an integer equal to or greater than ten
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