*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of that

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tód Proto-Germanic *þod Proto-Germanic *þat Proto-West Germanic *þat Old English þæt Middle English that English that From Middle English that, from Old English þæt (“the, that”, neute

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adv

Denoting an equal degree. · Denoting 'as much', 'no less'. · To a great extent or degree; very, particularly. · To such an extent; so.

det

The (thing, person, idea, etc) indicated or understood from context, especially if more remote physically, temporally or mentally than one designated as "this", or if expressing distinction.

pron

The thing, person, idea, quality, event, action, or time indicated or understood from context, especially if more remote geographically, temporally or mentally than one designated as "this", or if expressing distinction. · Used to refer to a noun phrase or statement just made. · Used to emphatically affirm or deny a previous statement or question. · In a relative clause, referring to a previously mentioned noun, as subject, direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition; which, who.

conj

Introducing a clause that is the object of a verb, especially a reporting verb or verb expressing belief, knowledge, perception, etc. · As delayed subject. · As direct subject. · Introducing the complement of a mandative verb.

noun

Something being indicated that is there; one of those.

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

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tód Proto-Germanic *þod Proto-Germanic *þat Proto-West Germanic *þat Old English þæt Middle English that English that From Middle English that, from Old English þæt (“the, that”, neuter definite article and relative pronoun), from Proto-West Germanic *þat, from Proto-Germanic *þat. Cognate to Scots that, Saterland Frisian dät, West Frisian dat, Dutch dat, Low German dat and datt, German dass and das, Danish det, Swedish det, Icelandic það, Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐍄𐌰 (þata). Further from Proto-Indo-European *tód; compare Ancient Greek τό (tó), Sanskrit तद् (tád), Waigali ta, Lithuanian tai̇̃, Polish to.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionthatenm
  • Inherited-form mentionþætang
  • Inherited-form mention*þatgmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*þatgem-pro
  • Cognate mentionthatsco
  • Cognate mentiondätstq
  • Cognate mentiondatfy
  • Cognate mentiondatnl
  • Cognate mentiondatnds
  • Cognate mentiondassde
  • Cognate mentiondetda
  • Cognate mentiondetsv
  • Cognate mentionþaðis
  • Cognate mention𐌸𐌰𐍄𐌰got
  • Inherited-form mention*tódine-pro
  • Cognate mentionτόgrc
  • Cognate mentionतद्sa
  • Cognate mentiontawbk
  • Cognate mentiontaĩlt
  • Cognate mentiontopl

This page abbreviates 10 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:that",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *tód\nProto-Germanic *þod\nProto-Germanic *þat\nProto-West Germanic *þat\nOld English þæt\nMiddle English that\nEnglish that\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*þat\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*þat\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"þæt\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"that\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"that\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"that\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "dercat",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "langname",
      "args": {
        "1": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European"
    },
    {
      "name": "word",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine",
        "3": "só"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "that"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English that"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "þæt",
        "4": "",
        "5": "the, that",
        "pos": "neuter definite article and relative pronoun"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English þæt (“the, that”, neuter definite article and relative pronoun)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*þat"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *þat"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*þat"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *þat"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "that"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots that"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "dät"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian dät"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "dat"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian dat"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "dat"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch dat"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "dat"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German dat"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "dass"
      },
      "expansion": "German dass"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "det"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish det"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "det"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish det"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "það"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic það"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "got",
        "2": "𐌸𐌰𐍄𐌰"
      },
      "expansion": "Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐍄𐌰 (þata)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*tód"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *tód"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "τό"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek τό (tó)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sa",
        "2": "तद्",
        "tr": "tád"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit तद् (tád)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "wbk",
        "2": "ta"
      },
      "expansion": "Waigali ta"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lt",
        "2": "taĩ"
      },
      "expansion": "Lithuanian tai̇̃"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "pl",
        "2": "to"
      },
      "expansion": "Polish to"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:that",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *tód\nProto-Germanic *þod\nProto-Germanic *þat\nProto-West Germanic *þat\nOld English þæt\nMiddle English that\nEnglish that"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*tód",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/tód"
    ],
    [
      "*þat",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/þat"
    ],
    [
      "*þat",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/þat"
    ],
    [
      "þæt",
      "þæt#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "that",
      "that#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "that",
      "that#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "þæt",
      "þæt#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*þat",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/þat"
    ],
    [
      "*þat",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/þat"
    ],
    [
      "that",
      "that#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "dät",
      "dät#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "dat",
      "dat#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "dat",
      "dat#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "dat",
      "dat#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "datt",
      "datt#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "dass",
      "dass#German"
    ],
    [
      "das",
      "das#German"
    ],
    [
      "det",
      "det#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "det",
      "det#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "það",
      "það#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "𐌸𐌰𐍄𐌰",
      "𐌸𐌰𐍄𐌰#Gothic"
    ],
    [
      "*tód",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/tód"
    ],
    [
      "τό",
      "τό#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "तद्",
      "तद्#Sanskrit"
    ],
    [
      "ta",
      "ta#Waigali"
    ],
    [
      "tai̇̃",
      "tai#Lithuanian"
    ],
    [
      "to",
      "to#Polish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Denoting an equal degree.",
        "Denoting 'as much', 'no less'.",
        "To a great extent or degree; very, particularly.",
        "To such an extent; so."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable",
        "often",
        "Australia",
        "UK",
        "informal"
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      "pos": "det",
      "glosses": [
        "The (thing, person, idea, etc) indicated or understood from context, especially if more remote physically, temporally or mentally than one designated as \"this\", or if expressing distinction."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "demonstrative"
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    {
      "pos": "pron",
      "glosses": [
        "The thing, person, idea, quality, event, action, or time indicated or understood from context, especially if more remote geographically, temporally or mentally than one designated as \"this\", or if expressing distinction.",
        "Used to refer to a noun phrase or statement just made.",
        "Used to emphatically affirm or deny a previous statement or question.",
        "In a relative clause, referring to a previously mentioned noun, as subject, direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition; which, who."
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      "tags": [
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        "relative"
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    },
    {
      "pos": "conj",
      "glosses": [
        "Introducing a clause that is the object of a verb, especially a reporting verb or verb expressing belief, knowledge, perception, etc.",
        "As delayed subject.",
        "As direct subject.",
        "Introducing the complement of a mandative verb."
      ],
      "tags": [
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 18436
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Something being indicated that is there; one of those."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 10,
    "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 that →

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-dGhhdA