þing

See also: ying, thing, Thing, yíng, yìng, yīng, and yǐng

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse þing (“assembly, council, business”), in turn from Proto-Germanic *þingą.

Cognate with Faroese ting, Norwegian ting, Swedish ting, and Danish ting, English thing, Dutch ding, German Ding, and an unattested Gothic *𐌸𐌹𐌲𐌲 (*þigg).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /θiŋk/
• Rhymes: -iŋk

Noun

þing n (genitive singular þings, nominative plural þing)

1. assembly, meeting, council
2. parliament

Declension

declension of þing

n-s	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	þing	þingið	þing	þingin
accusative	þing	þingið	þing	þingin
dative	þingi	þinginu	þingum	þingunum
genitive	þings	þingsins	þinga	þinganna

Derived terms

• allsherjarþing (“General Assembly”)
• Alþingi
• fjarþinghald (“teleconferencing”)
• rafrænt þinghald (“electronic conferencing”)
• símaþinghald (“teleconferencing”)
• sýndarþinghald (“virtual conferencing, virtual conference”)
• tölvuþinghald (“computer conferencing”)
• þinga
• þinghald (“conferencing”)
• þingmaður

 

Old Danish

Alternative forms

• thing (Jutland)

Etymology

From Old Norse þing, from Proto-Germanic *þingą.

Noun

þing n (genitive þings, plural þing)

1. (Scania) assembly, council
   • c. 1210, "Uil bryti skilias", Scanian Law, chapter 231.

     […] þa fari brytin til tuiggia þinga […]

     […] then the bailiff must attend two assemblies […]

Declension

Declension of þing (Scanian system)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	þing	þingit	þing	þingin
accusative	þing	þingit	þing	þingin
dative	þingi	þinginu	þingum	þingunum
genitive	þings	þingsins	þinga	þinganna
The declension is unstable and should be treated as a guide. The case system was gradually being simplified from four to two cases. Even some nominative markers were sporadically kept in the Scanian dialect, although they mostly were replaced with the accusative endings from Old Norse.

Descendants

• Danish: ting
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ting

Old English

Alternative forms

• þinċġ, þinġċ

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *þing, from Proto-Germanic *þingą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /θinj/, [θind͡ʒ]

Noun

þinġ n

1. thing
2. matter, concern
3. event, meeting, court
4. case
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Nativity of St. Clement the Martyr"

     Wén is þæt eower sum cweðe to him sylfum on stillum geðohtum, Hwæt forleton has gebroðru, Petrus and Andreas, þe for nean nán ðing næfdon? ac we sceolon on þisum ðinge heora gewilnunge swiðor āsmēaġan þonne heora gestreon.

     It is to be expected that one of you in his still thoughts say to himself, What did the brothers, Peter and Andrew, leave, who had almost nothing? but in this case we should rather consider their desire than their possession.

5. reason
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Epiphany of the Lord"

     For ðisum þrym ðingum is ðes freols-dæg Godes swutelung gecweden."

     For these three reasons this festival is called the Manifestation of God."

6. means
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "The Seven Sleepers"

     ...ac mē tōdæġ swā wundorlīce is ġelumpen þæt ic þurh nān þincg ne mæġ ġecnāwan hwæðer þys sȳ Ephesa byriġ þe elles ǣniġ ōþer;...

     But to-day it has befallen me so wonderfully that I cannot by any means recognise whether this be the city of the Ephesians or else any other.

Declension

Declension of þing (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	þinġ	þing
accusative	þinġ	þing
genitive	þinġes	þinga
dative	þinġe	þingum

Descendants

• Middle English: thing, thinge, thyng
  • English: thing
  • Scots: thing, ting, hing
  • Yola: dhing

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *þingą.

Pronunciation

• (12th century Icelandic) IPA^(key): /ˈθĩŋɡ/

Noun

þing n (genitive þings, plural þing)

1. a legal assembly
   1. thing, a regional parliament of nearby clans, traditionally headed by an elected jarl
   2. a multi-regional parliament, with representatives from several þing
2. a tryst

Declension

  Declension of þing (strong a-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	þing	þingit	þing	þingin
accusative	þing	þingit	þing	þingin
dative	þingi	þinginu	þingum	þingunum
genitive	þings	þingsins	þinga	þinganna

Descendants

• Icelandic: þing
• Faroese: ting
• Norn: ting
• Norwegian Nynorsk: ting
• Old Swedish: þing
  • Swedish: ting
• Old Danish: þing, thing
  • Danish: ting
    • Norwegian Bokmål: ting
• Gutnish: tingg
• → German: Thing