Obs. (exc. in METHINKS, q.v.) Forms: see below. [OE. þync(e)an, þúhte, ʓeþúht = OS. thunkian, thûhta (Du. dunken), OHG. dunchan, dûhta (MHG. dunken, G. dünken, däuchte), ON. þykkja, þótta (:—*þuŋkja, *þúhta) (Sw. tycka, Da. tykkes), Goth. þugkjan, þūhta, :—OTeut. *þuŋkjan, *þuŋχta to seem, appear. Although in Gothic and all the Teutonic langs. þuŋkjan is inflected as a weak verb, with forms parallel to those of þaŋkjan (THINK v.2), it is generally held to have been originally a strong vb., the present stem of which was formed with -ja suffix, like *ligjan, *sitjan, etc., on the weak grade of an original ablaut series *þiŋk-, *þaŋk-, *þuŋk- (see THINK v.2), which subseq. passed into the first class of weak vbs. (cf. brûkjan, brûhte, bugjan, bauhte, etc.). In OE., as in the cognate langs., the forms of this vb. and THINK v.2 remained quite distinct; but in ME., owing to the fact that both þync- and þenc- gave ME. þink-, and both púht and póht appeared in ME. as þouȝt, thought, they became confused and finally fell together. The contiguity of sense also helped: see THINK v.2]
A. Illustration of Forms.
1. Inf. and Pres. t. α. 1 þyncan, -cean; 3rd pers. sing. 1 ðynceþ, ðyncþ, 4 thunceth(ü); 3 þuncþ (þunþ).
a. 800. Cynewulf, Elene, 541 (Gr.). Do swa þe þynce.
c. 897. K. Ælfred, Gregory’s Past. C., xxxvi. 255. Hwelc wite sceal us ðonne to hefiʓ ðyncan [v.r. ðyncean]?
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 1592. Ek steape hire þun[c]þ a mile. Ibid., 1649. Me þunch, 1672 þuncþ [Jesus MS. þinkþ].
β. 1 þincan, þincean, 3–5 þink(e, 4 þynke, thinc, 4–6 thynk(e, 4–7 thinke, 5 thynck, 6 thincke, 4–6 (7–9 arch. in METHINKS) think; 3rd pers. sing. 1 þinþ, 1–3 þincþ, 3 þinkþ, 4 thinkt; 3 (Orm.) þinnkeþþ.
c. 888. K. Ælfred, Boeth., xxxiii. § 2. ʓif he hine þonne beʓit, þonne þincð him þæt he næbbe ʓenoʓ.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., II. 74. Swa micel swa þe þince.
c. 1200. Ormin, 11807. Ne þinnke ȝuw nan wunnderr.
c. 1325. Spec. Gy Warw., 588. Þouh þe þinke, hit greue þe.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 384. Lordes, lusteneþ her-to, ȝif ȝou lef þinkes.
13[?]. Cursor M., 18966 (Gött.). Gret selcuth here-of thinces vus. Ibid., 2602 (Fairf.). Me walde þink þat hit ware myne.
a. 1400. Hylton, Scala Perf. (W. de W., 1494), I. xxxiv. Hym shall thynke that his synnes are … so fowle.
c. 1400. Maundev. (1839), xxvii. 278. Þanne wolde hem thinken gretter delyt.
1531. Dial. on Laws Eng., I. xxix. 70. lt thynketh more resonable.
1577. Harrison, England, II. i. (1877), I. 18. Adding what him thinketh good of his owne knowledge.
Irreg. 13[?]. Cursor M., 225 (Cott.). Notful me thinc it ware to man. Ibid., 16389. Selcuth vs thinc o þe.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), xxi. 96. Þis think me ane of þe grettest meruailes.
1530. Crome, in Strype, Eccl. Mem. (1721), III. App. x. 20. But my thynk theye hurt purgatorye sore.
c. 1572. Gascoigne, Fruites Warre, Wks. (1831), 212. Me thinke if then their cause be rightly scande.
γ. 2–3 þinche(n, 2–4 þunche(n; 3 þenche(n, 4 thynche(n.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 33. Nalde hit þe þinchen na mare bute [etc.]. Ibid., 35. Ȝet hit wald me þunchen þet softeste beð … þat ic efre ibad. Ibid., 69. Þet þuncheð gode swiðe god.
a. 1200. Moral Ode, 62. Eiðer to lutel and to muchel scal þunchen [v.r. þunche] eft hom baþe.
c. 1230. Hali Meid., 7. Tah hit þunche oðre men þat ha drehen harde.
c. 1250. A lutel soth Sermun, 80, in O. E. Misc., 190. An eue to go mid him Ne þunchet [v.r. þincheþ] hire no schome.
c. 1300. Harrow. Hell (Harl. MS.) 140 Me þuncheþ he is a coward.
1399. Pol. Poems (Rolls), I. 397. I say ffor my self, and schewe, as me thynchith.
δ. 3–4 þenke(n, 4–5 thenke(n, 5 thenck; 3rd pers. sing. 4 thenkth. (Belonging in form to THINK v.2)
c. 1330. [see B. 3].
c. 1374. Chaucer, Anel. & Arc., 105. But no thing thenkith þe fals as doth the trewe.
1390. Gower, Conf., II. 8. So that him thenketh of a day A thousand yer, til he mai se The visage of Penolope.
1419. in Proc. Privy Council (1834), II. 247. Þus us thenkiþ þer was grete negligence in sum persone.
ε. 3rd pers. sing. 3–4 þingþ, 4 thingth; 5 thyngyt; thing.
a. 1300. Fragm. Pop. Sc. (Wright), 96. The sonne is more than the mone,… The mone thinȝth the more, for heo so neȝ ous is.
1340. Ayenb., 166. Suo dede þe martires ase hit þingþ ine hare liue.
c. 1420. Anturs of Arth., xxv. Vs thing [v.r. thynke] a masse als squete, As any spyce that euyr thou ete.
2. Pa. t. α. 1–3 þuhte, 3 þuȝte, ðhuȝte, (Orm.) þuhhte, 4 þuȝt, 5 thught.
a. 800. Cynewulf, Christ, 1424. Lytel þuhte is leoda bearnum.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 119. Hit þuhte here ech sunderlepes þat it was his landes speche.
c. 1200. Ormin, 15324. Itt himm þuhhte swiþe god.
c. 1250. Death, 186, in O. E. Misc., 180. Hit þuȝte [v.r. þuhte] þe ful god.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 1849. To sen de werld ðhuȝte hire god.
13[?]. Cursor M., 750 (Fairf.). If ham gode þuȝt [v.rr. thoght, þouȝt].
β. 3 þohte, 3–4 þoȝte, 3–5 þouȝte, 4 thoȝte, þoȝt, þoht, thouht, (þouȝth), 4–5 þouȝt, thoght, 4–6 Sc. thocht, 5 thoghte, thoȝt, þowht, Sc. thoucht, 5–7 (8–9 arch. in methought) thought; 3–4 þoute, 4 thout, (thouth), 4–5 þout, 5 thowt. (Coinciding in form with THINK v.2)
c. 1290. St. Kenelm, 123, in S. Eng. Leg., I. 348. Him þouȝte he clam op-on þat treo.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 19040 (Edin.). Þar of to don quat taim god þoȝte [C., G. thoght, L. thoȝt, Tr. þouȝt]. Ibid., 1339 (Cott.). Him thoght [Gött. thout, F. þoȝt, Tr. þouȝte] … Þat to þe sky it raght þe toppe.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 562. Hard hit hym poȝt.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, I. 79. Þis ordynance þaim thocht þe best.
c. 1430. Hymns Virg., 83. Al þat y dide, it þouȝte me swete.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, XI. vi. 15. The Goddis wraik, hym thocht, Schew that by fait Ene was thiddir brocht.
1632. Holland, Cyrupædia, 205. Him thought that one came unto him.
B. Signification. intr. To seem, to appear.
1. With expressed subject (sometimes it) and complement; often also with dat. pron.
c. 888. K. Ælfred, Boeth., xxxii. § 2. Þonne ne ðuhte he him no innon swa fæʓer swa he utan þuhte.
c. 897. [see A. 1 α].
c. 975. Rushw. Gosp., Matt. xvii. 25. Hwæt ðynceþ þe simon petre?
a. 1000. Boeth. Metr., xxviii. 63. Ne þincð þæt wundor micel monna æneʓum.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 119. Monie þewas beoð … þe monnen þuncheð rihte.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 109. Þe sunne þinkeð ful of liht … þe sunne þincheð ful of hete.
c. 1275. Woman of Samaria, 19, in O. E. Misc., 84. Hwat artu þat drynke me byst, þu þinchest of iude-londe.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 2183. Thanne is it wysdom, as it thynketh me To maken vertu of necessitee.
1437. Earl Warwick, in Wars Eng. in France (Rolls), II. Pref. 67. Such as shall think unto youre lordship necessarie and sufficient.
a. 1450. Le Morte Arth., 3829. That lyffe hym thought no-thyng longe.
2. Impersonal, i.e., without expressed subject, or with following clause as implicit subject: It seems. (Always with dat. pron., me, him, her, etc.)
After c. 1300 sometimes irreg. put into the person or number of the dative pron., by confusion with THINK v.2: thus methink, for methinks, after I think. Cf. A. 1 β. irreg.
a. With complement, as in 1; also with following inf. clause as implicit subject.
Beowulf, 1748. Þinceð him to lytel þæt he lange heold.
c. 888. K. Ælfred, Boeth., xiv. § 2. Ac þincð him ʓenoʓ on þam þe hi binnan heora æʓenre hyde habbað.
c. 1200. Ormin, 5030. Ȝiff himm þinnkeþþ god, he maȝȝ Þe ȝifenn heoffness blisse.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 636 (Cott.). Þar for thoght þam þen na scham. Ibid., 868. Vs thoght scam þe to bide. Ibid. (c. 1425), 16827 (Laud). Dothe hym doune as you thenckyth best.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., ii. 158. Cry on, cry, whyls the thynk good.
c. 1520. Barclay, Jugurth (1557), 28 b. Whan he had … such compani as him thought competent for an army.
1556. Aurelio & Isab. (1608), D iv. Take that nombre of men and women as shall thincke you goode.
b. Followed by a sb. clause (constituting the logical subject), or parenthetic. See also METHINKS.
c. 888. K. Ælfred, Boeth., xxix. § 1. Him selfum ðincð þæt he nænne næbbe.
c. 1200. Ormin, 10299. Hemm þuhhte þatt he mihhte ben Helysew þe profete.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 7597. To bete þulke robberie, þat him poȝte he adde ydo.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 100. Hym thoughte þat his herte wolde breke.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, V. 998. Say quhat ye will, this is the best, think me.
1530. Tindale, Pract. Prelates, I vij. The maryage of the brother with the sister is not so greuouse agenst the lawe of nature (thinketh me) as the degrees aboue rehersed.
1635. Heywood, Hierarch., IV. 198. Him thought that in his depth of sleepe he saw A Souldier arm’d.
c. With adverb (as, how, so, thus), usually representing a clause.
[Beowulf, 1341. ʓe feor hafað fæhðe ʓestæled þæs þe þincean mæʓ þeʓne moneʓum.]
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Matt. xxi. 28. Hu þincð eow?
a. 1300. Cursor M., 639 (Cott.). ‘Adam,’ he said, ‘how thinkt [v.rr. thinkes, þinkeþ] þe, In þis stede es fair to be?’
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., Prol. 248. Therfore may I seyn, as thynketh me, This songe in preysyng of this lady fre.
c. 1440. Alphabet of Tales, 175. We hard a grete noyse of armyd men, & as vs thoght, of harnessid hors.
1570–6. Lambarde, Peramb. Kent (1826), 333. The which may (as me thinketh) be broken in-to foure severall portions.
3. Phr. Think long, to seem long, to be wearisome (to one): cf. THINK v.2 10 c.
a. 1000. Boeth. Metr., x. 66. Þeah hit lang ðince.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 183. Hire þuncheð lang, þat hie on him bileueð.
c. 1330. Assump. Virg. (B. M. MS.), 121. Alle him þenkeþ swiþe longe Til þou comest hem amonge.
c. 1430. Hymns Virg., 9/49. After his loue me þenkiþ long.
