What does thine mean?
“Thine” is an archaic possessive form meaning “belonging to you” when addressing one person. It belongs to the older second-person singular system in which “thou” is the subject pronoun, “thee” is the object pronoun, “thy” is the possessive determiner, and “thine” is the fuller possessive form. “Thine” can appear before a noun, as in “thine own,” or independently, where it means “what belongs to you.” Its modern appearance is usually deliberate: in literary, poetic, devotional, or biblical language, where its old-fashioned sound conveys dignity, antiquity, intimacy, or solemnity. It is not normally used in everyday contemporary English, where “your” and “yours” serve the same functions. Although “thy” and “thine” overlap historically and grammatically, “thy” became the usual shorter form, while “thine” remained especially visible in elevated and religious texts. The word is therefore valuable as a marker of register and historical style as well as a straightforward possessive.
possessive determinerAn archaic second-person singular possessive determiner meaning “belonging to you,” traditionally used with “thou.” It survives chiefly in literary, poetic, and biblical English.
- Belonging to you, with “thou,” especially in archaic, literary, poetic, or biblical English.
"I trust thine judgment in this matter."
"Keep thine counsel close, for it concerns thee alone."
"Thine enemies shall seek thy life, but the righteous shall be protected."
Once the ordinary word for “your,” “thine” preserves the grand, timeworn voice of the second-person singular: “thou” and “thee” survive in its company.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does thine come from?
“Thine” comes from Old English þīn, the genitive form of þū, meaning “thou,” and thus originally expressed possession or association with the second-person singular. It continued into Middle English as “thine,” while related forms “thy,” “thou,” and “thee” developed from the same Old English pronoun. Over time, “thy” largely replaced “thine” in standard usage, but “thine” persisted in literary, poetic, and biblical language.
How thine is actually used
“Thine” is formal, archaic, and literary rather than part of ordinary modern conversation. It is strongly associated with the traditional second-person singular forms “thou,” “thee,” and “thy,” and may be used independently to mean “what belongs to you.”
Easily confused with thine
Both are archaic second-person singular possessives, but “thy” is the shorter form used before a noun, while “thine” is an older fuller form often used before a noun or independently.
“Thine” is pronounced with a voiced /ð/ sound and means “belonging to you,” whereas “thin” means having little thickness.