entry
thanks
/θæŋks/An expression of gratitude or appreciation
From Proto-Indo-European teng (to think).
from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think, feel”). More at thank.
from Proto-Germanic *þankōs, nominative plural of *þankaz (“thought, gratitude”)
from Old English þanc , þonc in its secondary sense of "grateful thought, good will, gratitude." This is
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English thanks, thankes
Word Ancestry
from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think, feel”). More at thank.
from Proto-Germanic *þankōs, nominative plural of *þankaz (“thought, gratitude”)
from Old English þanc , þonc in its secondary sense of "grateful thought, good will, gratitude." This is
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English thanks, thankes
Before thanks became something you said while accepting a gift, it was closer to a grateful thought held in the mind. Old English þanc and þancas could mean “thought,” “purpose,” or “good will”—a surprisingly spacious mental room for one small word. By the 1580s, “thanks” had become the familiar acknowledgment we use today, shortened from phrases such as “I give you thanks.” Its Germanic cousins are still visible in Dutch dank and German Dank, while English think and thought preserve the older connection between gratitude and mental attention. Even the sarcastic “Thanks for burning down my house” shows the word’s modern flexibility: gratitude can be sincere, ritual, or a sharply raised eyebrow.
The Story
Before thanks became something you said while accepting a gift, it was closer to a grateful thought held in the mind. Old English þanc and þancas could mean “thought,” “purpose,” or “good will”—a surprisingly spacious mental room for one small word. By the 1580s, “thanks” had become the familiar acknowledgment we use today, shortened from phrases such as “I give you thanks.” Its Germanic cousins are still visible in Dutch dank and German Dank, while English think and thought preserve the older connection between gratitude and mental attention. Even the sarcastic “Thanks for burning down my house” shows the word’s modern flexibility: gratitude can be sincere, ritual, or a sharply raised eyebrow.
Modern Usage
A sarcastic or insincere expression of appreciation
Kin & Kindred
From 'teng'·to think, feel
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary