[f. THEE pron.] To use the pronoun ‘thee’ to a person: see THOU v. Also to thee and thou (cf. F. tutoyer). a. trans. b. intr. (or absol.). Hence Theeing vbl. sb.
a. 1662. Tatham, Aqua Tri., 6. Though I Thee Thee, and Thou Thee, I am no Quaker.
a. 1690. G. Fox, Jrnl. (1827), I. 103. I was required to Thee and Thou all men and women, without any respect to rich or poor, great or small.
a. 1739. Jarvis, Quix., I. IV. li. With the utmost arrogance he would thee and thou his equals and acquaintance.
1836. T. Hook, G. Gurney, v. There I saw … two quaker children playing about the place, thee’ing and thou’ing each other, with perfect French familiarity.
1884. A. Doherty, N. Barlow, 28. Familiarly he ‘thee’d’ and ‘thou’d’ the men, And cheekily they ‘thee’d’ and ‘thou’d’ again.
b. 1679. [see THOU v. b].
1696. C. Leslie, Snake in Grass, p. xv. This was the Bottom upon which the Quakers first set up, to run down all worldly Honour…; to Thee and Thou; to call no Man Master, or Lord, and not to take off their Hats, or Bow to any.
1760. J. Rutty, Spir. Diary (ed. 2), 148. At meeting … was seen my insincerity in Theeing, inconsistent with my writing.
1894. Du Maurier, Trilby, I. (1901), 19/2. There were ladies too en cheveux … some of whom thee’d and thou’d with familiar and friendly affection.
