“Thank” seems like a pretty basic word, right? It’s obviously been around for a while. Say, as long as manners. 😉 Still, there’s been some interesting evolution of the word!
Interestingly, “thank” and “think” share a root–“thought, gratitude” is the meaning of the word from which it’s taken, which in turn is from a word that means “think, feel.” Apparently this variation came about from “thoughts” moving into “good thoughts,” which leads to gratitude.
Isn’t that just awesome?
Of course, it had developed an ironic sense–“You can thank her for that catastrophe”–by the 1550s, and by 1703 we were thanking people for nothing.
The phrase “thank you” (short for “I thank you”) is from the 1400s, and had turned into a noun (send him a thank you) by 1792.
I hope everyone has a great week!
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.
I'll have to remember this next time I am writing thank you cards. One should be to you for posting on your blog. I love your posts! I thank you.
I'm surprised at how long it has been around – and in its different uses. Thanks, Roseanna 😉