Etymograph

English

this

This comes from Middle English þis, from Old English þēs ‘this’, from Proto-Germanic *þat ‘that’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tód.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tód1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*þat1‘that’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*þat1reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150þēs1‘this’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500þis1
  6. Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606this1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English this
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of King Lear: “This is the excellent foppery of the world, that,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tódWiktionary, English thisreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*þatWiktionary, English this‘that’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*þatWiktionary, English thisreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150þēsWiktionary, English this‘this’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500þisWiktionary, English this
  6. Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606thisWiktionary, English this. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of King Lear: “This is the excellent foppery of the world, that,…”

Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *tód

Today it means

det The (thing) here (used in indicating something or someone nearby).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “this”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *tód / this

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