Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adverb In this manner.
  • adverb To a stated degree or extent; so.
  • adverb Therefore; consequently.
  • adverb For example.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Frankincense; either olibanum or the turpentine which concretes on the trunks of the trees yielding turpentine.
  • Of manner or state: In this way (referring to something present or under consideration); in the manner or state now-being indicated: as, one may often see gardens arranged thus or thus.
  • In the manner just indicated (pointing to something that has just been said, done, or referred to).
  • In the state or manner now to be indicated (pointing to something immediately following).
  • Of cause: Consequently; accordingly; so; things being so; hence (pointing to something that follows as an effect).
  • Of degree or quality: To this extent or proportion; so.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The commoner kind of frankincense, or that obtained from the Norway spruce, the long-leaved pine, and other conifers.
  • adverb In this or that manner; on this wise.
  • adverb To this degree or extent; so far; so.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Alternative spelling of thuris.
  • adverb conjunctive As a result.
  • adverb manner In this way or manner.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb in the way indicated
  • adverb (used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
  • noun an aromatic gum resin obtained from various Arabian or East African trees; formerly valued for worship and for embalming and fumigation

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old English; see to- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

See thuris

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English thus, thous, thos, from Old English þus ("thus, in this way, as follows, in this manner, to this extent"), from Proto-Germanic *þus (“so, thus”), perhaps originally from a variant of the instrumental form of this, related to Old English þȳs ("by this, with this"), Old Saxon thius ("by this, with this"). Cognate with Scots thus ("thus"), North Frisian aldoz ("thus"), West Frisian dus ("thus"), Dutch dus ("thus, so"), Low German sus ("thus, hence").

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Examples

  • Not thus he appeared -- assuredly not _thus_ -- in the vivacity of his waking hours.

    Selections from Poe J. Montgomery Gambrill

  • V. i.306 (249,3) [but to read his right wits, is to read thus] Perhaps so, -- _but to read his_ wits right _is to read thus_.

    Notes to Shakespeare — Volume 01: Comedies Samuel Johnson 1746

  • IV. i.1 (427,1) Yet better thus, and known to be contemn'd] The meaning is, _'Tis better_ to be _thus contemned, and_ known _to yourself_ to be contemned.

    Notes to Shakespeare, Volume III: The Tragedies Samuel Johnson 1746

  • The term thus points to the deeper truth, which is that in order to have integrated progress as a country, we need to evolve on all levels and with as many people as possible.

    Creating a More Enlightened Right 2006

  • He had not said a word thus far, and she wondered when he was going to say something, Thou art beautiful, O my love as Tirzah, something, the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, anything at all.

    The Chisholms Evan Hunter 1976

  • He had not said a word thus far, and she wondered when he was going to say something, Thou art beautiful, O my love as Tirzah, something, the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, anything at all.

    The Chisholms Evan Hunter 1976

  • He had not said a word thus far, and she wondered when he was going to say something, Thou art beautiful, O my love as Tirzah, something, the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, anything at all.

    The Chisholms Evan Hunter 1976

  • A history of the adjectival force of the term thus approximates a history of those qualities of inaccessibility, power, authority, and goodness which have attended the idea of God.

    HOLY (THE SACRED) WILLARD GURDON OXTOBY 1968

  • The term thus used becomes so broad and vague when cut off from its period moorings that it loses all useful - ness for concrete literary study.

    BAROQUE IN LITERATURE REN 1968

  • The port director then permitted him to execute the form with the title thus altered and when this was done he noticed that a copy of the form had been made when a sheet of carbon paper, through an inadvertence, had been inserted in the pad under the first sheet.

    Sense of Humor Goodman, Paul 1967

Comments

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  • One of the most useful words in the language.

    August 15, 2008

  • I like the thickness of the th- sound at the beginning, a holdover from Old English. :) Niiice.

    August 15, 2008

  • Thus we continue to use the word. :-)

    August 16, 2008

  • I guess the "boring" part of my list title should be changed to something more appropriately descriptive. They're words that are too dull to list on Wordie, was the thinking. Like articles, or prepositions, or really dull (though now I think about it, they're probably all Anglo-Saxon and therefore really awesomely old) nouns. Or words like homosexuality which for some reason had been orphaned, and someone suggested it was because the word was too boring to list. Yadda yadda. Thus we find ourselves here discussing thus.

    August 16, 2008

  • This word is adorable and I love it.

    August 16, 2008

  • Do you feel the same way about this? Or just thus?

    August 16, 2008

  • I prefer the term, viz., which is a Latin abbreviation for videlicet, as in, clearly, thusly, to wit, etc.

    August 16, 2008

  • viz. doesn't mean the same thing, though.

    n.b. I think thus is a dull word.

    August 16, 2008

  • viz. is awesome also, but useful only in writing. This is commonplace and ordinary. Thus is not used by everybody, and serves a cool purpose. IMO.

    August 16, 2008

  • "Sic" is the Latin word for "thus." I think "thus" is pretentious. Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to have High Tea with the Archbishop of Canterbury.

    August 16, 2008

  • Pardon me, but I'm off to play the grand piano.

    August 16, 2008

  • My tea is better than your grand instrument! *patting himself on his back with self-congratulatory smugness*

    August 16, 2008

  • And thus we continue to discuss thus.

    August 16, 2008

  • What's wrong with being pretentious? I'm not running for elected office.

    August 16, 2008

  • Whichbe: why not? I'd vote for you.

    August 16, 2008

  • If you're running for unelected office, I'll vote for you.

    August 16, 2008

  • Or selected office, even.

    August 16, 2008

  • Hell, I'd vote for you to get into a reflected office.

    August 16, 2008

  • He might end up belected.

    August 16, 2008

  • One of only two(?) minimal pairs contrasting /ð/ and /θ/ initially: /ðʌs/ "so" ~ /θʌs/ "incense" (what a thurifer carries in a thurible). The other initial pair is 'thou'; final contrasts occur in 'mouth' (n. and v.) and possibly 'withe'/'with'.

    June 10, 2009