thank: [OE] The notion of ‘gratitude’ in modern English thank arose out of an earlier ‘thoughtfulness’. For the word goes back ultimately to prehistoric Germanic *thank-, *thengk-, which also produced English think, and the noun thank originally meant ‘thought’ (a 12th-century translation of the gospels has ‘From the heart come evil thanks’ Matthew 15:19, where the Authorized Version gives ‘Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts’).
The sense ‘thought’ graduated via ‘favourable thought, good will’ to ‘gratitude’. It was originally singular, and the modern plural usage did not emerge until the 14th century. Thank you first appeared in the 15th century, short for I thank you. => think
thank (v.)
Old English þancian, þoncian "to give thanks, thank, to recompense, reward," from Proto-Germanic *thankojan (cognates: Old Saxon thancon, Old Norse þakka, Danish takke, Old Frisian thankia, Old High German danchon, Middle Dutch, Dutch, German danken "to thank"), from *thankoz "thought, gratitude," from PIE root *tong- "to think, feel."
Related phonetically to think as song is to sing; for sense evolution, compare Old High German minna "loving memory," originally "memory." Related to Old English noun þanc, þonc, originally "thought," but by c. 1000 "good thoughts, gratitude." In ironical use, "to blame," from 1550s. To thank (someone) for nothing is recorded from 1703. Related: Thanked; thanking.
双语例句
1. Well, at any rate, let me thank you for all you did.
好吧，不管怎样，还是要感谢你所做的一切。
来自柯林斯例句
2. Thank God they're not on my manor any more.
谢天谢地，他们再也不在我的辖区里了。
来自柯林斯例句
3. The policeman smiled at her. "Pretty dog."— "Oh well, thank you."
警察冲她笑了笑，“这狗真漂亮。”——“哦，谢谢。”
来自柯林斯例句
4. We have lost everything, but thank God, our lives have been spared.
