thou

A thousand, especially of dollars.

Used to indicate the one being addressed, especially in a literary, liturgical, or devotional context.

To address as “thou”: implying (except when referring to the usage of the Friends) familiarity, wrath, scorn, contempt, etc.

To use thou, thee, thy, and thine in discourse, as do the Friends.

A personal pronoun of the second person, in the singular number, nominative case, the possessive case being thy or thine, and the objective thee: plural, ye or you, your, you. See thine and you.

In ordinary English use the place of thou has been taken by you, which is properly plural, and takes a plural verb. Thou is now little used except archaically, in poetry, provincially, in addressing the Deity, and by the Friends, who usually say not thou but thee, putting a verb in the third person singular with it: as, thee is or is thee?

Formerly it was used in general address, and often bore special significance, according to circumstances, as noting— equality, familiarity, or intimacy

superiority on the part of the speaker

contempt or scorn for the person addressed (see thou, v.).

To address as thou, esp. to do so in order to treat with insolent familiarity or contempt.