*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of You

Capitalization of you.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
pron

Honorific alternative letter-case form of you, sometimes used when referring to God or another important figure who is understood from context.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Capitalization of you.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "you",
      "you#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "pron",
      "glosses": [
        "Honorific alternative letter-case form of you, sometimes used when referring to God or another important figure who is understood from context."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "honorific"
      ],
      "recordId": "b46be1e6534c171214290a08e86a2d25c258d504db6e49c0e4c340966f03f150",
      "rawRecordSha256": "dac6b8b6193c73a751a0e7b5ef223af9046714015326f1128326b0385f7c92fc",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 5329401
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from Chinese · A former prefecture of China. · Synonym of Youzhou, one of the Nine Provinces of Chinese legend.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From irregular, Wade–Giles, and Hanyu Pinyin romanizations of the Mandarin pronunciations of various Chinese characters, including 余, 于, 由 (yóu), 魚 /鱼 (yú) / 鱼 (yú), 漁 /渔 (yú), 渔 (yú), 楀 (yǔ), 俞, 喻, 兪, 於 /于, 遇 (yù), 虞 (yú), 郁 (yù), 尉, 禹 (yǔ), 游 (yóu), 尤 (yóu), 庾 (yǔ), 娛 /娱, 娱, 茹, 幽 (Yōu).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ (surname)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+zhou"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn-wadegiles",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Wade–Giles"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn-pinyin",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Hanyu Pinyin"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "余",
      "余#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "于",
      "于#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "由",
      "由#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "魚",
      "魚#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "鱼",
      "鱼#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "鱼",
      "鱼#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "漁",
      "漁#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "渔",
      "渔#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "渔",
      "渔#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "楀",
      "楀#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "俞",
      "俞#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "喻",
      "喻#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "兪",
      "兪#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "於",
      "於#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "于",
      "于#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "遇",
      "遇#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "虞",
      "虞#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "郁",
      "郁#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "尉",
      "尉#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "禹",
      "禹#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "游",
      "游#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "尤",
      "尤#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "庾",
      "庾#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "娛",
      "娛#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "娱",
      "娱#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "娱",
      "娱#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "茹",
      "茹#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "幽",
      "幽#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Chinese",
        "A former prefecture of China.",
        "Synonym of Youzhou, one of the Nine Provinces of Chinese legend."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "historical",
        "uncountable",
        "Chinese"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 5329402
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for You →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-WW91