Thou is an old-fashioned, poetic, or religious word for 'you' when you are talking to only one person. It is used as the subject of a verb.
2. See also holier-than-thou
thou in British English1
(ðaʊ)
pronoun(subjective)
1. archaic, dialect
refers to the person addressed: used mainly in familiar address or to a younger person or inferior
2. (usually capital)
refers to God when addressed in prayer, etc
Word origin
Old English thū; related to Old Saxon thū, Old High German du, Old Norse thū, Latin tū, Doric Greek tu
thou in British English2
(θaʊ)
nounWord forms: pluralthous or thou
1.
one thousandth of an inch. 1 thou is equal to 0.0254 millimetre
2. informal short for thousand
thou in American English1
(ðaʊ)
pronounWord forms: pluralyou or ye
Archaic
personal pronoun in the second person singular
once used in familiar address, but now replaced by you except in poetic or religious use and in some British dialects: thee is the objective form, thine the possessive, and thyself the intensive and reflexive; thy is the possessive pronominal adjective
Word origin
ME < OE thu, akin to Ger du < IE *tu > L & Sans tu
thou in American English2
(θaʊ)
nounWord forms: pluralthou or thous
Slang
thousand
Examples of 'thou' in a sentence
thou
This deed of thine shall cost thee all thou art worth.
The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales (1812)
Thou art very old now but young enough to escape if thou would work another miracle.
Christianity Today (2000)
But these few precepts in thy memory look thou character.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The fragments also include the lines "Where art thou gone?
Claire Harman ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON (2005)
Thou shalt not discuss the body of Hendricks.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It’s all right enough; thou art shipped.
Herman Melville Moby Dick (1901)
Thou shalt head thy beasts to-day.
George MacDonald The Princess and the Curdie (1883)
What art thou sneezing about?
Herman Melville Moby Dick (1901)
Molly, thou art a woman!
Elizabeth Gaskell Wives and Daughters (1864)
I grin at thee, thou grinning whale!
Herman Melville Moby Dick (1901)
Perhaps there should be another: Thou shalt not spout nonsense.
The Sun (2009)
Thou shalt not smoke, eat an unhealthy diet or sit guilt-free on the sofa watching the telly.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
For example, most people in American society would agree with the norm "thou shalt not kill.
Appelbaum, Richard P. Sociology (1995)
O wife thou wilt be!
Adam Sisman The Friendship: Wordsworth and Coleridge (2006)