þó

Forms

þó adv, conj^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *þauh (“nevertheless, though”),^[2][3] which also gave Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌿𐌷 (þauh), Old English þēah, Old Frisian thāch, Old Saxon thoh and Old High German doh.^[3][4][5]

Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon and Wiktionary analyse it as Proto-Germanic *þau (“in that case”) with a particle -h, as Gothic has 𐌸𐌰𐌿 (þau) beside 𐌸𐌰𐌿𐌷 (þauh).^[4][2] Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon takes the -h as probably matching Latin -que in quoque, and de Vries derives it from Proto-Indo-European *-kʷe (“and”).^[4][5] Before the final /h/, which was later lost, the diphthong was contracted to /oː/;^[6][7] Noreen gives this very word as an example.^[6][7] Marstrander instead set up a base without the particle, as de Vries reports.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Menota's first record is the Norwegian fragment NRA norr fragm 81 A, dated 1150–1250, and IcePaHC has it in its texts of 1150, the Icelandic Homily Book and the First Grammatical Treatise.^[8][9] Larsson lists the adverb in the fragment 237 among the oldest Icelandic manuscripts and the conjunction in Grágás.^[10][11]

Semantic evolution

The basic sense is concessive, “yet, nevertheless”: þeir vóru síð búnir ok sigldu þó í haf “they were late in getting ready and yet put out to sea”.^[1][12] After ok it adds a further point, “and besides, and even”, and er þó means “since, considering that”.^[1][12] With at it became the conjunction þó at, contracted to þótt “although”, which takes the subjunctive.^[1] It is among the hundred most frequent words in de Leeuw van Weenen's count.^[13]

It continues as Icelandic þó and Faroese tó.^[4] English though comes partly from Old English þēah and partly from the Norse word.^[14][5]

Timeline

• 1150 – þó in the Icelandic Homily Book and the First Grammatical Treatise, by IcePaHC's dating.^[9]
• 1150–1250 – þó in the Norwegian fragment NRA norr fragm 81 A.^[8]
• 1200–1225 – þó in AM 677 4to and AM 619 4to.^[15][16]
• 1220–1230 – þo in a Norwegian charter.^[17]
• 1258–1264 – þó beside þótt in Lbs fragm. 82.^[18]
• c. 1200 – English though, partly from Norse.^[14]

Meanings

Adverb

1. yet, nevertheless, still.^[1][12][19]
2. (after ok) besides, and even, moreover.^[1][12]
3. (er þó) since, considering that.^[1]

Conjunction

1. (þó at, þó) although, even though, with the subjunctive.^[1][20]

Word family

• þótt

Descendants

• Icelandic þó^[2]
• Faroese tó^[2]
• Norwegian Nynorsk do^[2]
• Old Swedish þō^[2]
• English though^[14]

Related words

• þeygi

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. þó
2. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
3. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *þauh
4. ^ a b c d Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989), Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Orðabók Háskólans, ordsifjabok.arnastofnun.is, p. s.v. þó
5. ^ a b c d de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 615
6. ^ a b Noreen, Adolf (1923), Altisländische und altnorwegische Grammatik, 4th ed., Halle, p. 93
7. ^ a b Noreen, Adolf (1923), Altisländische und altnorwegische Grammatik, 4th ed., Halle, p. § 230
8. ^ a b Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. NRA norr fragm 81 A
9. ^ a b Wallenberg, Joel C.; Ingason, Anton Karl; Sigurðsson, Einar Freyr; Rögnvaldsson, Eiríkur, Icelandic Parsed Historical Corpus, version 0.9
10. ^ Larsson, Ludvig (1891), Ordförrådet i de älsta islänska handskrifterna, Lund: Ph. Lindstedt, p. 382
11. ^ Larsson, Ludvig (1891), Ordförrådet i de älsta islänska handskrifterna, Lund: Ph. Lindstedt, p. 383
12. ^ a b c d Fritzner, Johan (1886–1896), Ordbog over det gamle norske Sprog, 2nd ed., Kristiania, p. s.v. þó
13. ^ de Leeuw van Weenen, Andrea (1999), Grundwortschatz Altisländisch, Leiden, p. 10
14. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com, p. s.v. though
15. ^ Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. AM 677 4to
16. ^ Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. AM 619 4to
17. ^ Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. DN 2:5
18. ^ Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. Lbs fragm. 82
19. ^ Baetke, Walter (1965–1968), Wörterbuch zur altnordischen Prosaliteratur, Berlin (digital ed. Greifswald 2006), p. 775
20. ^ Cleasby, Richard; Vigfússon, Guðbrandur (1874), An Icelandic-English Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 742