Thank v.

Forms: α. 1–2 þancian, 2–3 þankien, 3–5 þanken, 4–6 thanken, 4–7 thanke, thanck, (4 þ-, thanc, 4–5 þanky, thange), 5– thank. β. 1 ðoncian, 2 þonkien, 3–5 þonke(n, (3 þonki, 4 þonkke), 4–6 thonk, (5–6 thong). [OE. þancian, þǫncian = OS. thankôn (MDu., Du. danken), OHG. dankôn (MHG., G. danken), ON. þakka (Sw. tacka, Da. takke):—OTeut. *þank-ôjan, f. *þanko^z THANK sb.]

  † 1.  intr. To give thanks. Obs. exc. as absol. of 3.

c. 950.  Lindisf. Gosp., Matt. xxvi. 27. ʓenimmende calic ðoncunco dyde vel ðoncade & sealde him.

c. 975.  Rushw. Gosp., ibid. ʓenom cælic þongade & salde heom.

c. 1000.  Ags. Gosp., ibid. He ʓenam þone calic þanciende.

c. 1000.  Ælfric, Hom., II. 400. Drihten ðancode ærðan ðe he ða hlafas tobræce.

c. 1290.  St. Brandan, 595, in S. Eng. Leg., 236. Iudas þonkede reufolliche.

c. 1500.  Melusine, xxxvi. 247. ‘Fayre lordes,’ said Geffray … ‘that ought to be thanked for’ [indirect passive of ‘one ought to thank for that’].

  † 2.  intr. in particular constructions. a. To give thanks to a person (orig. with simple dative, at length treated as accusative: see 3). Obs.

c. 888.  K. Ælfred, Boeth., v. § 3. Ðonca nu Gode þæt he ðe ʓefultumade.

a. 1000.  Cædmon’s Satan, 536. [Hi] þanceden þeodne, þæt hit þus ʓelomp.

c. 1000.  Ags. Gosp., Luke xvii. 16. He … feoll to his foten & him þancode.

c. 1175.  Lamb. Hom., 153. Iþonked wurðe him [Let it be thanked to him].

a. 1450.  Le Morte Arth., 1478. On knes Felle thay … And thankyd All to god.

1508.  Dunbar, Gold. Targe, 101. Syne to dame Flora … Thay saluse, and thay thank a thousand syse.

1542.  Udall, Erasm. Apoph., 145. That persone, to whom onely … thou art bound to thanke.

  † b.  of (= on account of, for) a thing (orig. genitive): see c. Obs.

971.  Blickl. Hom., 43. Ne sceal he … to lyt þancian heora ælmessan. Ibid., 203. Hie … þancudan þæs siʓes ðe hie ʓefered hæfdon.

  † c.  (combining a and b) to a person (dative), of a thing (orig. genitive), the dative (mostly a pronoun) passing into an accusative: the usual constr. in OE, and early ME.; passing into 3 b. Obs.

Beowulf, 1397. Se gomela gode þancode … þæs se man ʓespræc.

a. 1000.  Cædmon’s Gen., 257 (Gr.). He … sceolde his drihtne þancian þæs leanes.

c. 1000.  Ælfric, Saints’ Lives (1885), I. 104. Iulianus þa sona þæs þancode Gode.

c. 1175.  Lamb. Hom., 39. Þet þu luuie þine drihten and him þonkien alles binges.

c. 1200.  Vices & Virtues, 29. Þanke ðar-of ðine lauerde gode.

c. 1200.  Trin. Coll. Hom., 197. Iob … þonkede him of þan wowe, alse dude ar of þe wele.

  3.  trans. To give thanks to; to express gratitude or obligation to. (Orig. intr. with dat.: see 2 a. By 1200 the dat. was treated as acc., and might be subject of the passive voice.) Sometimes const. that.

c. 1200.  Trin. Coll. Hom., 3. Þanked be ure louerd ihesu crist.

1297.  R. Glouc. (Rolls), 1154. Vaire he þonkede is gode folc. Ibid., 9281. Ich þonke ȝou … Þat ȝe me so muche loue sseweþ.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 3321 (Cott.). Thancand god, til erth he fell.

c. 1350.  Will. Palerne, 2794. Þat we so scaþli ar a-schaped god mowe [we] þonk.

1362.  Langl., P. Pl., A. XII. 48. I … þankede hure a þousand syþes.

c. 1420.  Chron. Vilod., 461. Þey thongedone god and mournedone no more.

1537.  Wriothesley, Chron. (Camden), I. 67. The maior and aldermen riding about the cittie thancking the people.

1598.  Shaks., Merry W., I. i. 293. I had rather walke here (I thanke you).

1648.  Hamilton Papers (Camden), 250. Powley is returned from London. He brings a most sleevles letter … which signifyes nothing…. Judge if I thanked him.

a. 1796.  Burns, Selkirk Grace. We hae meat and we can eat, Sae let the Lord be thankit.

1818.  Scott, Hrt. Midl., xxxvii. That he has subjects in Scotland, I think he may thank God and his sword.

1841.  Lane, Arab. Nts., I. 114. The young prince kissed his hand and thanked him.

1906.  Outlook, 18 Sept., 346. He who solicits a favour by letter not infrequently concludes with the phrase, ‘thanking you in anticipation,’ which came into vogue some ten years ago.

  † b.  Const. of a thing. Obs.

  The continuation of 2 c; usual in ME.

c. 1175.  Lamb. Hom., 7. Ȝif we þonkiet ure drihten alles þinges þe he us sent.

c. 1230.  Hali Meid., 19. To þonki godd of his grace & of his goddede.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 5304. Knele i sal befor þe king, And thank him of his grett mensking.

c. 1375.  Sc. Leg. Saints, v. (Johannes), 644 He … bad I suld … thange ȝou of ȝore gud vyl.

c. 1412.  Hoccleve, De Reg. Princ., 1062. God thanke alwey of thyne ese and of thyne smert.

a. 1533.  Ld. Berners, Huon, lxi. 212. I thanke you of your courtesye.

a. 1548.  Hall, Chron., Edw. IV., 236 b. The Frenche kyng … thanked the kyng of Englande of his kynde offre.

  c.  Const. for a thing: now usual.

a. 1591.  H. Smith, Serm. (1637), 133. He is not thankfull before God, which thanks him only for his benefits.

1653.  Holcroft, Procopius, I. 11. He thanckt the man much for his good will.

1715.  De Foe, Fam. Instruct., I. i. (1841), I. 7. How must I thank him for it?

1764.  Goldsm., Trav., 72. And thanks his gods for all the good they gave.

1910.  W. H. Hudson, Introd. Study Lit., Pref. 4. I have to thank my friend, the Rev. Albert E. Sims, for the invaluable assistance which, as on various former occasions, he has again rendered me.

  d.  fig. To make a return to a person in evidence of obligation or gratitude. (In quot. ironical.)

1821.  Scott, Kenilw., xxvi. I were like to be thanked with a horse-whip.

  e.  In the future tense, used to express a request: I will thank you to do so-and-so.

1843.  Thackeray, Ravenswing, vi. The page … instantly thanked her to pay his wages. Ibid. (1852), Esmond, III. v. I want to speak with your employer, Mr. Leach. I’ll thank ye go fetch him.

Mod.  I will thank you to hand me my field-glass. I will thank you for a glass of water.

  f.  Phr. To thank one for nothing: esp. in (I) Thank you for nothing, an ironical expression indicating that the speaker thinks he has got or been offered nothing worth thanks.

1703.  Moxon, Mech. Exerc., 60. But perhaps these Pretenders mean the Iron or Steel shall be as soft as Lead, when the Iron or Steel is red-hot; if so, we may thank them for nothing.

1712.  Addison, Spect., No. 391, ¶ 3. Jupiter thanked him for nothing.

1754.  Foote, Knights, I. Wks. 1799, I. 67. Part with Favourite! no, I thank you for nothing.

1769.  Franklin, Observ., etc., Wks. 1840, IV. 288. Your humble servant! We thank you for nothing. Keep up your claim, and make the most of it.
  ‘To be placed upon a level with the rest of the subjects of the British crown, is the utmost the colonies can challenge.’

1848.  [see THANK YOU].

  g.  Ejaculatory phrases, as thank God († I thank God (obs.), God be thanked, etc.), thank goodness, thank heaven. To thank one’s (or the) stars, to congratulate oneself on one’s good fortune: see STAR.

  c. 1330.  R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 134. Þanked be God of heuen.

1340.  Ayenb., 196. God be yhered and y-þonked.

1426.  Test. Ebor. (Surtees), I. 76. I … in gud mynd, thanket be God.

c. 1489.  Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, xxiv. 530. Hole & sounde, thanked be god.

1530.  Palsgr., 754/2. I am one of them, God be thanked!

1599.  Shaks., Much Ado, III. v. 15. Yes I thank God, I am as honest as any man liuing, that is an old man, and no honester then I.

1796.  Mme. D’Arblay, Camilla, III. 99. Now … I have not the gift of writing, at which, thank God, I have left off repining.

1811.  L. M. Hawkins, C’tess & Gertr., III. 283. I was all that, thank goodness, as I always say, last grass.

1840.  Thackeray, Shabby-genteel Story, ii. I am here, thank Heaven, quite alone.

1872.  [see GOODNESS 5].

  1614.  B. Jonson, Barth. Fair, Induct. Yet I kept the Stage in Master Tarleton’s time, I thanke my starres.

1730.  Fielding, Temple Beau, IV. ii. Sir Harry, you may thank your stars that conducted you to me.

1816.  J. Agg, The London Bazaar, 7.

1834.  T. Hawkins, Mem. Ichthyos. & Plesiosauri, 42. But I should … thank the stars and the Cholera that it was no worse.

  † 4.  With dative of person (indirect obj.) and accusative of thing (direct obj.): = 3 b or c. Obs. (Cf. TELL v. 3 (a).)

c. 1175.  Lamb. Hom., 5 We ahte to … þonkien hit ure drihten þe hit us lende.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 16219. Herod thankes þe þi sand.

1362.  Langl., P. Pl., A. VII. 17. We haue no lymes to labore with; vr lord we hit þonken.

c. 1475.  Rauf Coilȝear, 271. Mair the King spak nocht, Bot thankit thame thair deid.

  b.  With the thing as sole obj.: To return thanks for, express one’s gratitude for; to repay, rare.

c. 1470.  Ashby, Dicta Philos., 925. A goode man thanketh euery benefete, After the yeuers possibilite.

1818.  Byron, Mazeppa, xx. Charles forgot To thank his tale. Ibid. (1819), Juan, I. cxii. His young lip thank’d it with a grateful kiss.

1867.  Morris, Jason, XV. 226. And I am well aweary of it now, And of my toil, thanked with hard word and blow.

  5.  To give the thanks or credit for something to; to consider or hold responsible: esp. in ironical use, = to blame.

1560.  Daus, trans. Sleidane’s Comm., 189. Him that brought hym vp, and whome both he and his father may thanke for all theyr good fortune.

1667.  Milton, P. L., X. 736. Who … but … will curse My Hend,… For this we may thank Adam; but his thanks Shall be the execration.

1794.  Mrs. Radcliffe, Myst. Udolpho, xxxi. She might thank herself for what happened.

1885.  Sir N. Lindley, in Law Rep., 14 Q. B. Div. 817. If … any mistake was made by the sheriff, the defendant had only himself to thank for it.