thank you (English)
Where does "thank you" come from?
The English expression 'thank you' comes from Middle English 'thanke yow'[1]. Originally functioning as a present subjunctive form, similar to phrases like 'thank God', it is typically no longer parsed that way in modern usage[1]. It has also occasionally been interpreted as a prodrop variant of the present indicative 'I thank you', with these different mechanisms potentially coexisting[1].
Open questions
- The exact historical development involves competing possibilities between a present subjunctive form and a prodrop variant of the present indicative. [1]
Full etymology tree
- thank you (English), 'An expression of gratitude or politeness in response to something done or given.'
- inherited thanke yow (Middle English)
Descendants and derived words
- I'm fine, thank you (English)
- no thank you (English)
- thank-you (English)
- thank you card (English)
- thank you for coming to my TED Talk (English)
- thank you for your attention to this matter (English)
- thank-you-ma'am (English)
- thank you very much (English)
- wham, bam, thank you ma'am (English)
- サンキュ (Japanese)
- サンキュー (Japanese)
- センキュー (Japanese)
Sources
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris