thank

thank
\ \ [OE] The notion of ‘gratitude’ in modern English thank arose out of an earlier ‘thoughtfulness’. For the word goes back ultimately to prehistoric Germanic *thank-, *thengk-, which also produced English think, and the noun thank originally meant ‘thought’ (a 12th-century translation of the gospels has ‘From the heart come evil thanks’ Matthew 15:19, where the Authorized Version gives ‘Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts’). The sense ‘thought’ graduated via ‘favourable thought, good will’ to ‘gratitude’. It was originally singular, and the modern plural usage did not emerge until the 14th century. Thank you first appeared in the 15th century, short for I thank you.
\ \ Cf.THINK

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • thank — W2S1 [θæŋk] v [T] [: Old English; Origin: thancian] 1.) to tell someone that you are pleased and grateful for something they have done, or to be polite about it ▪ I haven t had a chance to thank him yet. thank sb for (doing) sth ▪ Did you thank… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • thank — [ θæŋk ] verb transitive *** to tell someone that you are grateful for something they have done or given to you: She didn t even thank me. thank someone for something: I just wanted to thank you for the flowers, they re beautiful. thank someone… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • thank — thank; thank·ee; thank·er; thank·ful; thank·less; thank·ful·ness; thank·less·ly; thank·less·ness; thank·ye; un·thank·ful·ness; …   English syllables

  • Thank U — Single par Alanis Morissette extrait de l’album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie Sortie 13 octobre 1998 Durée 4:19 Genre Rock expérimental For …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Thank U — «Thank U» Сингл Аланис Мориссетт из альбома Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie Сторона «Б» «Pollyanna Flower» Выпущен 13 октября 1998 Формат CD Записан …   Википедия

  • thank — ► VERB 1) express gratitude to. 2) ironic blame or hold responsible: you have only yourself to thank. ● thank goodness (or God or heavens) Cf. ↑thank heavens ● thank one s lucky stars Cf. ↑thank one s lucky …   English terms dictionary

  • Thank — Thank, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Thanked}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Thanking}.] [AS. [thorn]ancian. See {Thank}, n.] To express gratitude to (anyone) for a favor; to make acknowledgments to (anyone) for kindness bestowed; used also ironically for blame. [1913 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • thank — hank (th[a^][ng]k), n.; pl. {thanks} (th[a^][ng]ks). [AS. [thorn]anc, [thorn]onc, thanks, favor, thought; akin to OS. thank favor, pleasure, thanks, D. & G. dank thanks, Icel. [thorn][ o]kk, Dan. tak, Sw. tack, Goth. [thorn]agks thanks;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Thank U — «Thank U» Sencillo de Alanis Morissette del álbum Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie Lado B Pollyanna Flower Formato CD Single Grabación 1998 Género(s) post …   Wikipedia Español

  • thank — (v.) O.E. þancian to give thanks, from P.Gmc. *thankojan (Cf. O.S. thancon, O.N. þakka, Dan. takke, O.Fris. thankia, M.Du., Ger. danken to thank ), from *thankoz thought, gratitude, from PIE root *tong to think, feel. For sense evolution, Cf. re …   Etymology dictionary

  • thank — [thaŋk] vt. [ME thankien < OE thancian, akin to Ger danken < IE base * tong , to think > THINK1, L tongere, to know] 1. to show or express appreciation or gratitude to, as by saying “thank you” 2. to hold responsible; blame: an ironic… …   English World dictionary

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