theen

Middle English

Alternative forms

ðen, the, thee, theo, theon, theyn, þe, þeen, þene

Etymology

From Old English þēon (strong class 1), from Proto-Germanic *þinhaną (strong class 3); a cognate of Middle Dutch diën. In later Old English, þēon changed to strong class 2 on the model of tēon, meaning the past participle became þogen; in Middle English, the -g- vocalised to -w-, resulting in a form thowen. Past singular forms in -w- were then analogically created on the basis of this past participle (see the inflection table below).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈθeːən/, /θeːn/

Verb

theen

To experience success, wealth, or prosperity.
To expand, increase, or become grown.
(rare, Early Middle English) To induce prosperity.

Conjugation

Conjugation of theen (strong class 2)

infinitive	(to) theen, thee
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	thee	thew
2nd-person singular	theest	thowe, thew
3rd-person singular	theeth	thew
subjunctive singular	thee	thowe¹
imperative singular	thee	—

plural²	theen, thee	thowen, thowe
imperative plural	theeth, thee	—

participles	theynge, theende	thowen, thowe

¹Replaced by the indicative in later Middle English.
²Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants

English: thee (obsolete or dialectal)
Scots: thee, the

References

“thẹ̄n, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-09-05.

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