Etymology

tho

T1H4O1

Today it means: The (plural form); those. Full definition →

Middle English tho ← Old English þā ← Proto-West Germanic *þai
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tho · article, pronoun1

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*to-
  2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*þai“those”
  3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*þai
  4. Old English · inherited fromþā“the, those”
  5. Middle English · inherited fromtho
  6. English todaytho

From Middle English tho, tha, from Old English þā (“the, those”, plural), from Proto-West Germanic *þai, from Proto-Germanic *þai (“those”), from Proto-Indo-European *to-, *só (“that”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian do (“the”, plural). Doublet of they.

tho · adverb, conjunction2

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*to-
  2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*þa-“that”
  3. Old English · inherited fromþā“then, when”
  4. Middle English · inherited fromtho
  5. English todaytho

From Middle English tho, tha, from Old English þā (“then, when”), from Proto-Germanic *þa- (“that”), from Proto-Indo-European *to-, *só (“that”). See also German da (“then, thereupon”).

tho · adverb3

Simplified reform spelling. Popular in American English in the earlier 20th century. Like thru, it failed to establish itself fully, but remains in informal contexts or where brevity is needed. Compare tho'.

Words from the same roots

Proto-Indo-European*to- all →

though

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.