*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of think

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *teng-der. Proto-Germanic *þankijaną Proto-West Germanic *þankijan Old English þenċan Middle English thinken English think From Middle English thinken, thynken, thenken, thenchen, from

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 ↗
noun

An act of thinking; consideration (of something).

verb

To ponder, to go over in one's mind. · To have (some statement) in one's mind; to say to oneself mentally. · To communicate to oneself in one's mind, to try to find a solution to a problem. · To conceive of something or someone

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

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *teng-der. Proto-Germanic *þankijaną Proto-West Germanic *þankijan Old English þenċan Middle English thinken English think From Middle English thinken, thynken, thenken, thenchen, from Old English þenċan, from Proto-West Germanic *þankijan, from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną (“to think”), from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think, feel, know”). Cognate with Scots think, thynk (“to think”), North Frisian teenk, taanke, tanke, tånke (“to think”), Saterland Frisian toanke (“to think”), West Frisian tinke (“to think”), Dutch denken, dinken (“to think”), Afrikaans dink (“to think”), Low German denken, dinken (“to think”), German denken (“to think”), Danish tænke (“to think”), Swedish tänka (“to think”), Norwegian Bokmål tenke (“to think”), Norwegian Nynorsk tenkja (“to think”), Icelandic þekkja (“to know, recognise, identify, perceive”), Gothic þagkjan (“to think”), Latin tongeō (“know”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

This page abbreviates 5 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.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:thinken<id:ponder>",
        "id": "ponder",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *teng-der.\nProto-Germanic *þankijaną\nProto-West Germanic *þankijan\nOld English þenċan\nMiddle English thinken\nEnglish think\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"think\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*teng-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*þankijaną\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*þankijan\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"þenċan\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"thinken\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"think\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"ponder\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"think\" id=\"English:_ponder\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "thinken"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English thinken"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "þenċan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English þenċan"
    },
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*þankijan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *þankijan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
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        "5": "to think"
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    },
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      "name": "der",
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        "5": "to think, feel, know",
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      },
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    },
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      "name": "cog",
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        "1": "sco",
        "2": "think"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots think"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "frr",
        "2": "teenk"
      },
      "expansion": "North Frisian teenk"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "toanke",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to think"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian toanke (“to think”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "tinke",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to think"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian tinke (“to think”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "denken",
        "3": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch denken"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "af",
        "2": "dink",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to think"
      },
      "expansion": "Afrikaans dink (“to think”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "denken",
        "3": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Low German denken"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "denken",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to think"
      },
      "expansion": "German denken (“to think”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "tænke",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to think"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish tænke (“to think”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "tänka",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to think"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish tänka (“to think”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nb",
        "2": "tenke",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to think"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian Bokmål tenke (“to think”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nn",
        "2": "tenkja",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to think"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian Nynorsk tenkja (“to think”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "þekkja",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to know, recognise, identify, perceive"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic þekkja (“to know, recognise, identify, perceive”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "got",
        "2": "þagkjan",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to think"
      },
      "expansion": "Gothic þagkjan (“to think”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "tongeō",
        "3": "",
        "4": "know"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin tongeō (“know”)"
    },
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        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:thinken<id:ponder>",
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        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *teng-der.\nProto-Germanic *þankijaną\nProto-West Germanic *þankijan\nOld English þenċan\nMiddle English thinken\nEnglish think"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "*teng-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/teng-#Proto-Indo-European:_think"
    ],
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      "*þankijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/þankijaną"
    ],
    [
      "*þankijan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/þankijan#Proto-West_Germanic:_think"
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      "þenċan",
      "þencan#Old_English:_think"
    ],
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      "thinken#Middle_English:_ponder"
    ],
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      "thinken",
      "thinken#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "thynken",
      "thynken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "thenken",
      "thenken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "thenchen",
      "thenchen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "þenċan",
      "þencan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*þankijan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/þankijan"
    ],
    [
      "*þankijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/þankijaną"
    ],
    [
      "*teng-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/teng-#Proto-Indo-European:_think"
    ],
    [
      "think",
      "think#Scots"
    ],
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      "thynk",
      "thynk#Scots"
    ],
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      "teenk",
      "teenk#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "taanke",
      "taanke#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "tanke",
      "tanke#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "tånke",
      "tånke#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "toanke",
      "toanke#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "tinke",
      "tinke#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "denken",
      "denken#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "dinken",
      "dinken#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "dink",
      "dink#Afrikaans"
    ],
    [
      "denken",
      "denken#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "dinken",
      "dinken#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "denken",
      "denken#German"
    ],
    [
      "tænke",
      "tænke#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "tänka",
      "tänka#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "tenke",
      "tenke#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ],
    [
      "tenkja",
      "tenkja#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "þekkja",
      "þekkja#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "þagkjan",
      "þagkjan#Gothic"
    ],
    [
      "tongeō",
      "tongeo#Latin"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
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        "An act of thinking; consideration (of something)."
      ],
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        "To ponder, to go over in one's mind.",
        "To have (some statement) in one's mind; to say to oneself mentally.",
        "To communicate to oneself in one's mind, to try to find a solution to a problem.",
        "To conceive of something or someone"
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To seem, to appear.

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

From Middle English thinken, thynken, thenken (also thinchen, thünchen), from Old English þyncan (“to seem, appear”), from Proto-Germanic *þunkijaną (“to seem”). Cognate with Dutch dunken (“to seem, appear”), German dünken (“to seem, appear”), Danish tykkes (“to seem”), Swedish tycka (“to seem, think, regard”), Icelandic þykja (“to be regarded, be considered, seem”). More at methinks.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "thinken"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English thinken"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "þyncan",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to seem, appear"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English þyncan (“to seem, appear”)"
    },
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        "4": "",
        "5": "to seem"
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      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *þunkijaną (“to seem”)"
    },
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        "3": "",
        "4": "to seem, appear"
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      "expansion": "Dutch dunken (“to seem, appear”)"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "dünken",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to seem, appear"
      },
      "expansion": "German dünken (“to seem, appear”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "tykkes",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to seem"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish tykkes (“to seem”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "tycka",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to seem, think, regard"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish tycka (“to seem, think, regard”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "þykja",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to be regarded, be considered, seem"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic þykja (“to be regarded, be considered, seem”)"
    }
  ],
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    ],
    [
      "thynken",
      "thynken#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "thenken",
      "thenken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "thinchen",
      "thinchen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "thünchen",
      "thunchen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "þyncan",
      "þyncan#Old_English"
    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/þunkijaną"
    ],
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      "dunken",
      "dunken#Dutch"
    ],
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      "dünken",
      "dünken#German"
    ],
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      "tykkes",
      "tykkes#Danish"
    ],
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      "methinks#English"
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Where this record stops

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

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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
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Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dGhpbms