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think

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think¹

  • /ˈθɪŋk/ Canada, US, UK
  • [ˈθɪŋk] Canada, US, UK
  • /ˈθæŋk/
  • [ˈθæŋk]
  • [ˈθeɪ̯ŋk]
  • [ˈθɛ̃ŋk]
  • [ˈθiŋk]
  • [ˈθɪ̝ŋk]
  • [ˈfɪŋk]
  • [ˈtɪŋk]
  • [ˈt̪ɪŋk]

Sounds like thank (Appalachia, African-American Vernacular, thank-think merger), fink (th-fronting), tink (th-stopping) · Rhymes with -ɪŋk

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *teng-der.

Proto-Germanic *þankijaną

Proto-West Germanic *þankijan

Old English þenċan

Middle English thinken

English think

From Middle English thinken, thynken, thenken, thenchen, from Old English þenċan, from Proto-West Germanic *þankijan, from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną (“to think”), from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think, feel, know”).

Cognate with Scots think, thynk (“to think”), North Frisian teenk, taanke, tanke, tånke (“to think”), Saterland Frisian toanke (“to think”), West Frisian tinke (“to think”), Dutch denken, dinken (“to think”), Afrikaans dink (“to think”), Low German denken, dinken (“to think”), German denken (“to think”), Danish tænke (“to think”), Swedish tänka (“to think”), Norwegian Bokmål tenke (“to think”), Norwegian Nynorsk tenkja (“to think”), Icelandic þekkja (“to know, recognise, identify, perceive”), Gothic þagkjan (“to think”), Latin tongeō (“know”).

verb thinks · thinking · thought · think

  1. transitive To ponder, to go over in one's mind. Idly, the detective thought what his next move should be.
  2. transitive To have (some statement) in one's mind; to say to oneself mentally. "I should phone my mother," I thought.
  3. intransitive To communicate to oneself in one's mind, to try to find a solution to a problem. I thought for three hours about the problem and still couldn’t find the solution.
  4. intransitive To conceive of something or someone I tend to think of her as rather ugly.
  5. transitive To be of the opinion (that); to consider, judge, regard, or look upon (something) as. I don't think it worth complaining about the leak in the roof, is it?
  6. transitive To guess; to reckon; to believe while admittedly being uncertain. We should/would have thought she could've washed her hands before, at least.
  7. To plan; to be considering; to be of a mind (to do something). The cupbearer shrugged up his shoulders in displeasure. "I thought to have lodged him in the solere chamber," said he[…]
  8. To presume; to venture. Think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father.
  9. abbreviation, ellipsis, informal Ellipsis of think so.think so These plants are dead. Uh, you think?

Similar: think

noun thinks · thinck · thinke

  1. UK, uncountable, usually An act of thinking; consideration (of something). I'll have a think about that and let you know.

think²

  • /ˈθɪŋk/ Canada, US, UK
  • [ˈθɪŋk] Canada, US, UK
  • /ˈθæŋk/
  • [ˈθæŋk]
  • [ˈθeɪ̯ŋk]
  • [ˈθɛ̃ŋk]
  • [ˈθiŋk]
  • [ˈθɪ̝ŋk]
  • [ˈfɪŋk]
  • [ˈtɪŋk]
  • [ˈt̪ɪŋk]

Sounds like thank (Appalachia, African-American Vernacular, thank-think merger), fink (th-fronting), tink (th-stopping) · Rhymes with -ɪŋk

Where it comes from

From Middle English thinken, thynken, thenken (also thinchen, thünchen), from Old English þyncan (“to seem, appear”), from Proto-Germanic *þunkijaną (“to seem”).

Cognate with Dutch dunken (“to seem, appear”), German dünken (“to seem, appear”), Danish tykkes (“to seem”), Swedish tycka (“to seem, think, regard”), Icelandic þykja (“to be regarded, be considered, seem”). More at methinks.

verb thinks · thinking · thought · thinck · thinke

  1. To seem, to appear. And whanne syr launcelot sawe he myghte not ryde vp in to the montayne he there alyghte vnder an Appel tree […] And then he leid hym doune to slepe And thenne hym thoughte there came an old man afore hym the whiche sayd A launcelot of euylle feythe and poure byleue wherfor is thy wille tourned

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