þing

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

Icelandic edit

Icelandic Wikipedia has an article on:

þing

Etymology edit

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).^[1]

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /θiŋk/
Rhymes: -iŋk

Noun edit

þing n (genitive singular þings, nominative plural þing)

assembly, meeting, council
parliament

Declension edit

declension of þing

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

Derived terms edit

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

References edit

^ German and probable Gothic cognate in Deutsches Wörterbuch

Old Danish edit

Alternative forms edit

thing (Jutland)

Etymology edit

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

Noun edit

þing n (genitive þings, plural þing)

(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 edit

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 edit

Danish: ting
- Norwegian Bokmål: ting

Old English edit

Alternative forms edit

þinċġ, þinġċ

Etymology edit

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

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /θinj/, [θind͡ʒ]

Noun edit

þinġ n^[1]

thing
matter, concern
event, meeting, court
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.
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."
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 edit

Declension of þing (strong a-stem)

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

Descendants edit

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

References edit

^ R. D. Fulk (2014) An Introductory Grammar of Old English, published 2020, page 104:
As for g after n, this is affricated, like c, only after i or a vowel that has undergone front mutation, as with nom.-acc. sg. þinġ ‘thing’ and menġan ‘mingle’ (from *mangjan); but affrication after -in- is prevented by a following back vowel: cf. singan. Presumably affrication also failed in nom.-acc. pl. þing < *þingu, but it may have been restored by analogy, though this cannot be known for certain.

Old Norse edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Germanic *þingą.

Pronunciation edit

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

Noun edit

þing n (genitive þings, plural þing)

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
a tryst

Declension edit

Declension of þing (strong a-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
neuter	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 edit

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

[DW-1] German and probable Gothic cognate in Deutsches Wörterbuch

[2] R. D. Fulk (2014) An Introductory Grammar of Old English, published 2020, page 104:
As for g after n, this is affricated, like c, only after i or a vowel that has undergone front mutation, as with nom.-acc. sg. þinġ ‘thing’ and menġan ‘mingle’ (from *mangjan); but affrication after -in- is prevented by a following back vowel: cf. singan. Presumably affrication also failed in nom.-acc. pl. þing < *þingu, but it may have been restored by analogy, though this cannot be known for certain.

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