thing

thing · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*tenk-?
2. Proto-Indo-European*tenkóm
3. Proto-Germanic*þingą
4. Proto-West Germanic*þing
5. Old Englishþing
6. Middle Englishthing
7. English todaything

From Middle English thing, from Old English þing, from Proto-West Germanic *þing, from Proto-Germanic *þingą. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Ding (“thing”), West Frisian ting, ding (“thing”), Dutch ding (“thing”), German Low German Ding (“thing”), German Ding (“thing”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish ting (“thing”), Faroese ting (“parliament, assembly”), Icelandic þing (“congress, assembly”), Scots hing (“thing”). The word originally meant "assembly", then came to mean a specific issue discussed at such an assembly, and ultimately came to mean most broadly "an object". Compare Latin rēs, also meaning "legal matter", and same transition from Latin causa (“legal matter”) to "thing" in Romance languages. Modern use to refer to a Germanic assembly is likely influenced by cognates (from the same Proto-Germanic root) like Old Norse þing (“thing”), Danish ting, Swedish ting, and Old High German ding with this meaning.

Thing · noun²

See thing.

First known use, by meaning

• from 20th c. A genuine concept, entity or phenomenon; something that actually exists (often contrary to expectation or belief).