/θæŋk/, /ðæŋk/, /θæŋk/
OriginFrom Middle English thank (“gratitude; expression of gratitude, thanks; attractiveness; commendation, praise; God’s grace; goodwill; merit, reward; mind, thought”), from Old English þanc (“gratitude; expression of gratitude, thanks; favour, grace; mind, thought; pleasure, satisfaction”), from Proto-Germanic *þankaz (“gratitude; expression of gratitude, thanks; mind, thought; remembrance”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to perceive; to think”).
Cognates
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tonk (“thanks”), West Frisian tanke (“thanks”), Cimbrian dånke (“thanks”), Dutch dank (“thanks”), German Dank (“thanks”), Yiddish דאַנק (dank, “thanks”), Danish tak (“thanks”), Elfdalian tokk (“thanks”), Faroese takk, tøkk (“thanks”), Icelandic takk, þökk (“thanks”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk takk (“thanks”), Swedish tack (“thanks”), Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐍃 (þagks, “thanks”), Vandalic *þank- (“thanks”); also Latin tongeō (“to know”).
For the think — thank relation, compare typologically Russian призна́тельный (priznátelʹnyj) (< знать (znatʹ).
- form-of, obsolete, singularsingular of thanks (“an expression of appreciation or gratitude; grateful feelings or thoughts; favour, goodwill, graciousness”)
“If ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.”
“What great thank, then, if any man, reputed wise and constant, will neither do, nor permit others under his charge to do, that which he approves not, especially in matter of sin?”
- transitiveTo express appreciation or gratitude toward (someone or something).
“She thanked him for the lift.”
“[H]aſt thou no ſhame to deſpiſe that perſone, to whom onely and no man els, thou art bounde to thanke, euen for this veraie pointe, that thou ſetteſt ſo moche by thy peinted ſheathe?”
“I can eate no meate, I thanke you.”
- transitiveIn the future tense in the form one will thank someone to do something, chiefly expressing a command or criticism: to request that (someone) do something.
“I’ll thank you not to smoke in my house!”
“Our readers would not thank us for going into the badgerings which had for some time annoyed the chancellor on the subject of arrears in his court.”
- rare, transitiveTo express appreciation or gratitude for (something).
- figuratively, transitiveTo respond to (someone) out of, or as if out of, appreciation or gratitude.
“I should summon my lord from the Queen's royal presence to do your business, should I?—I were like to be thanked with a horse-whip.”
- figuratively, transitiveChiefly followed by for: to credit or hold (someone or something) responsible, especially for something negative; to blame.
“We can thank global warming for this freak weather.”
- intransitive, obsoleteTo express gratitude.
Formsthanks(plural) · thanks(present, singular, third-person) · thanking(participle, present) · thanked(participle, past) · thanked(past)