thinken

Middle English

Alternative forms

• thenchen, thenken, thynken, thinke, think

Etymology

From Old English þenċan (“to think”), from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną (“to perceive; to think”), from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈθinkən/

Verb

thinken (third-person singular simple present thinketh, present participle thinkende, first-/third-person singular past indicative thought, past participle ithought)

1. To think, ponder; to deduce, figure out; to grasp, understand.
   • c. 1450 Prose Merlin

     And in the menewhile that thei thoughten upon these thinges that thei hadde seyn, the squyer com the thridde tyme and smote his lorde sorer than he hadde don before.

   • 1589, George Peele, An Eclogue Gratulatory

     And for their mistress, thoughten the two swains,

     They moughten never take too mickle pains;

2. To pray.
3. To conceive of, imagine.
4. To recall, remember.
5. To reach a conclusion, to decide, resolve; to accept, believe; to consider, regard.
6. To focus on, pay attention to.
7. To plot, scheme; to anticipate, expect.
   • c. 1500 The Turke and Sir Gawain

     All the giants thoughten then

     To have strucke out Sir Gawaines braine.

8. To be sorry.
9. To feel.

Conjugation

Conjugation of thinken (weak)

infinitive	(to) thinken
indicative	present	past
1st person singular	think, þink	thought, þouȝt
2nd person singular	thinkest, þinkest	thoughtest, þouȝtest
3rd person singular	thinketh, þinkeþ	thought, þouȝt
plural	thinken, þinken	thoughten, þouȝten
subjunctive	present	past
singular	thinke, þinke	thoughte, þouȝte
plural	thinke, þinke	thoughten, þouȝten
imperative	present
singular	thinke, þinke
plural	thinketh, þinkeþ
participle	present	past
	thinking(e), thinkende	(y)thought, (y)þouȝt

Descendants

• English: think
• Scots: think, thynk