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English word the comes from Old English (ca. 450-1100) forþon, Proto-Indo-European *tébʰye, Proto-Indo-European *tóm, Old English (ca. 450-1100) þȳ, Old English (ca. 450-1100) se, and later Proto-Germanic *sa (That.)
forþon (Old English)
*tébʰye (Proto-Indo-European)
*tóm (Proto-Indo-European)
þȳ (Old English)
se (Old English)
That, he (masculine singular form) The That (masculine singular form).
forthy (Middle English)
*þiz (Proto-Germanic)
*sa (Proto-Germanic)
That.
sē (Old English)
þe (Old English)
(demonstrative) the, he: late variant of se.
þē (Old English)
thyn (Middle English)
the (English)
Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive. [from 9th c.]. Definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that an entity it articulates is presupposed; something already mentioned, or completely specified later in that same sentence, or assumed already completely specified. [from 10th c.]. Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a [...]