THANK

I. ˈthaŋk, ˈthaiŋk noun

( -s )

Etymology: Middle English thank, thonk, from Old English thanc, thonc thought, will, mercy, favor, pleasure, gratitude; akin to Old High German thank, dank memory, thought, gratitude, Old Norse thökk gratitude, Gothic thanks gratitude, Latin tongēre to know, Albanian tângë resentment, Tocharian A tuṅk- love, Tocharian B taṅkw; basic meaning: to think, feel

1. thanks plural : kindly or grateful thoughts : gratitude

express my thanks

2. obsolete : worthiness to be thanked : merit , credit

if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? — Lk 6:33 (Authorized Version)

3.

a. : an expression of gratitude : acknowledgment especially by words of a benefit received from or offered by another

never a thank was accorded any for always battling … the foemen — W.B.Smith & Walter Miller

— usually used in plural; often used in plural in an utterance containing no verb and serving as an ordinarily courteous and somewhat informal expression of gratitude

thanks

many thanks

thanks a lot

thanks for helping me

no, thanks

b. thanks plural : an expression of gratitude to God in the form of a short prayer before or after a meal — used especially in the phrases give thanks and return thanks

•

- no thanks to

- thanks to

II. verb

( -ed/-ing/-s )

Etymology: Middle English thanken, thonken, from Old English thancian, thoncian; akin to Old High German thankōn, danchōn to thank, Old Norse thakka; denominative from the root of English thank (I)

transitive verb

1.

a. : to express gratitude to : acknowledge especially by words a benefit received from or offered by

thanked her uncle for the birthday present

— used in the phrase thank you with a first person subject or without any subject as the most polite formula for expressing gratitude on the part of the speaker or writer or the group to which he belongs

thank you very much for the loan

I thank you for your music — Shakespeare

— used in such phrases as thank God, thank goodness, thank heaven usually without any subject to express gratitude or more often only pleasure or satisfaction on the part of the speaker or writer

thank God nobody was killed in the wreck

the beds are all made, thank goodness

b. : to hold responsible : give the credit or blame to

whether we eat the food directly as the plant stored it or indirectly after some animal has converted it into meat or milk, we still have to thank the plant for it — J.B.Robson

had only his inexperience to thank for his failure to get ahead

c. : request — used especially after will or 'll to imply forced courtesy or barely veiled hostility

I'll thank you to open the window

I will thank you to mind your own business

d. : to feel gratitude to

a textbook that thousands of teachers will thank the author for writing

2. : to express gratitude for

ten thousandfold the favor I shall thank — Robert Browning

intransitive verb

: to express gratitude

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- thank one's stars