Obs. Forms: 1–4 ðe, þe, (2 þæ, 2–3 þa). [OE. þe, app. an unstressed or worn-down case or derivative formation from the stem þa- of THAT demonst. and rel. pron. Thought by some to be a worn-down locative case. Cf. Goth. þê-ei, þei, conj., similarly used.]
1. Used as a conjunction introducing clauses of various kinds: THAT conj.
Beowulf, 1334. Heo þa fæh ðe wræc þe þu ʓystran niht grendel cwealdest. Ibid., 1436. He on holme wæs sundes þe sænra ðe hyne swylt for-nam.
c. 1000. Ags. Ps. (Th.), cxliii. 4. Hwæt is se manna, mihtiʓ Drihten, þe þu him cuðlice cyþan woldest?
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 941. Þe Nihtegale … wiste wel … þe wraþþe binymeþ monnes red.
b. spec. After comparatives: Than.
c. 897. K. Ælfred, Gregory’s Past. C., xliv. 318. Ne hie selfe ðy betran ne talien þe ða oðre.
971. Blickl. Hom., 215. Ða he þa hæfde twæmn læs þe twentiʓ wintra.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Hom., I. 154. Þeos woruld … nis … ðe ʓeliccre ðære ecan worulde, þe is sum cweartern leohtum deʓe.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 151. If ȝe beoð strengre þe heo.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 119. Þe holi gost com … and alihte hem of brihtere and of festere bileue þe hie hedden er.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 564. Na more þe deþ a wrecche wranne.
c. As correlative conjunction: ‘hwæþer … þe…,’ ‘þe … þe…,’ ‘whether … or….’
c. 888. K. Ælfred, Boeth., xxxiv. 86. Hwæþer þincð þe þonne þæt þa þincg sien, ðe ðara soðena ʓesælða limu, þe sio ʓesæld self?
971. Blickl. Hom., 97. Hwyder he ʓelæded sy, þe to wite, þe to wuldre.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Hom., II. 120. Ða Gregorius befran, hwæðer þæs landes folc cristen wære ðe hæðen.
c. 1205. Lay., 16812. Do þine iwille Whaðer swa þu wult don, Þa us slan þa us an-hon.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 1064. Hweþer þu wilt wif þe meyde. Ibid., 1408. Sei me soþ if þu hit wost Hweþer doþ wurse fleys þe gost.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 4507. In woch half turne he nuste, þo weþer est þe west.
2. Relative particle. &. Appended to adverbs and adverbial expressions of time, place, etc., to make them relative or conjunctive. Cf. THAT conj. 6. Also in for þan þe because that, ær þan þe before that, and the like.
835. Charter of Abba, in O. E. Texts, 447. Ða hwile ðe hia hit mid clennisse ʓehaldan wile.
c. 1160. Hatton Gosp., Mark viii. 24. Þa þæ he hine be-seaʓ.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 87. Þa þe heo comen on midden þere se.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 35. Þe fiffeald mihten þe god him gef þo þe he him shop.
a. 1240. Ureisun, 36, in Cott. Hom., 193. Þer ðe neure deað ne com.
b. Hence as a temporal adverb (= þá, þá þe): When.
c. 1205. Lay., 263. Þeos ȝunge wiman iwerd hire mid childe, þe ȝet leouede Asscanius. Ibid., 4150. Þe [c. 1275 þo] Dunewale hauede isæd, al his folc luuede þene ræd.
a. 1300. Harrow. Hell (MS. L.) 42. Þe [MS. E. þan] he com þere þo [MS. E. þan] seyd he asse y shal nouþe telle þe.
3. As relative pronoun: That, who, which.
In OE. repr. any case or number. Also with ellipsis of antecedent, = he who, that which, what, = THAT rel. pron. 3.
805–31. Charter of Oswulf, in O. E. Texts, 444. Ic ðe ðas ʓesettnesse sette.
847. Charter of Æðelwulf, in O. E. Texts, 434. Ðonon to ðæm beorʓe ðe mon hateð æt ðæm holne.
c. 888. K. Ælfred, Boeth., xxxiv. § 3. His sio hea goodnes þe he full is. Ibid., xxxvi. § 4 (3). Þæt ðu mæʓe ðy bet ʓelefan ðe ic ðe … recce. Ibid. (c. 893), Oros., II. i. § 4. þy ilcan ʓeare þe Romana rice weaxan ongann.
a. 1000. Boeth. Metr., v. II. Seo þe ær gladu onsiene wæs.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Matt. vi. 9. Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum. Ibid., John i. 26. Tomiddes eow stod þe [Lindisf. ðone] ʓe ne cunnon.
1154. O. E. Chron., an. 1140. Alle þe men þe mid him heoldon.
c. 1175. Cott. Hom., 221. Ælra þara þinge þe on paradis beoð.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 45. Þe þre kinges þe comen of estriche.
c. 1205. Lay., 41. Wace wes ihoten Þe wel couþe writen.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 1386 (Cott. MS.). For heo beoþ wode, Þe [v.r. þat] bute nest goþ to brode.
a. 1300. Harrow. Hell (MS. L.), 24. Moyses, þe holy wyht [MS. whyt], Þe heuede þe lawe to ȝeme ryht.
13[?]. Cursor M., 24317 (Edin.). Wit hard thrauis þe [other MSS. þat] he þrow Þai sau þat he to ded him drew.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 4422. Sche … went Into a choys chaumber Þe clerli was peinted.
c. 1460. Oseney Regr., 166. He Bryngeth also Anoþer charter … the witnyssith [orig. Cartam … que testatur] that the Same Nicoll yafe [etc.]. Ibid., 170. For þe Sowle of my ffadur Robert Doylly þe þat same church foundid.
b. When the relative was governed by a preposition, the latter followed before the verb.
a. 900. O. E. Chron., an. 885. He sende him … þære rode dæl þe Crist on þrowude.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Mark ii. 4. Þæt bed þe se lama on læʓ.
c. In Old English the relative was also expressed by adding þe to the demonstrative pronoun se, séo, þæt; thus, se-þe, séo-þe, þæt-þe or þætte, þæs-þe, þæm-þe, etc.; but this combination scarcely survived after 1100.
835. Charter of Abba, in O. E. Texts, 448. Swælc monn se ðe to minum ærfe foe.
c. 893. K. Ælfred, Oros., II. iv. § 8. Seo ilce burʓ … seo ðe mæst wæs.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Gen. vi. 2. Hiʓ … namon him wif of eallum þam, þa þe hiʓ ʓecuron.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Matt. iii. 3. Dys ys se be ðam ðe ʓecweden ys.
a. 1175. Cott. Hom., 227. Se soðe sceppende se þe ane is god.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 5. He is iblesced þe þe her cumet on drihtenes nome.
d. To express the genitive case whose, of which, þe or se ðe was followed by a possessive pronoun: cf. THAT rel. pron. 9.
a. 800. Cynewulf, Elene, 162. Se God … þe þis his beacen wæs.
c. 850. O. E. Martyrol., 118. Þære fæmnan tid þe hire noma wæs sancta Anatolia.
a. 900. Psalm xxxii. 11 (Thorpe). Eadiʓ byþ þæt kynn, þe swylc God byð heora God.
a. 1122. O. E. Chron. (Laud MS.), an. 1011. Ælmær … þe se arcb. Ælfeah ær ʓenerede his life.
