That which exists by itself, a substance; a kind of substance.

(a) A concrete, inanimate object (as opposed to a living being); also in proverbs and prov. expressions; ~ graven, graven ~, an idol, image; ded ~, a corpse; straunge ~, a foreign object, foreign body; (b) a material substance, esp. one used in medicinal preparations; (c) a bodily organ or member, or a part of an organ or member; also, a substance produced by the body, bodily fluid; straunge ~, a foreign or unnatural substance; (d) that which is held in possession, chattel, property; pl. goods, belongings; also fig.; (e) used vaguely of any perceptible object: a thing, something; sen ~; (f) an object or a physical substance of no specific kind but having a particular property or set of properties specified by an adj. modifier, a clause, etc.; (g) used broadly, of anything created by God; alle thinges; ech (ilke, etc.) ~.

That which pertains to a person, an animal, object, act, etc.: (a) an attribute, a state, or an affection; a virtue; a vice, sin; (b) a physical characteristic, feature, or quality.

(a) A living, corporeal being: a person, an animal, a creature; also, a plant; also, a kind of living being, kind of creature; (b) an angel, a demon, etc.;—usu. immaterial; also, a soul; a ~ immortal, an immortal being, a divine creature; (c) used with adj. modifier as a term of affection, tenderness, pity, etc. for an innocent or a socially dependent person, esp. a maiden, child, or virtuous wife; also used of an angel with childlike form; swete (tender, yong, etc.) ~; (d) used with pejorative adj. or phrase, as a term of disparagement for a person, devil, personified animal, etc.: foul (lithere, etc.) ~, a foul (wicked, etc.) creature; a ~ of litel valeue.

(a) An action; don ~; elded ~, a habit; (b) a specific act or deed; don (a) ~; (c) a task to be performed; also, the object to be attained through the performance of a task, an objective; (d) an undertaking, enterprise; also, a course of action; also in proverbs; (e) an activity; also, labor [some quots. difficult to distinguish from (a)]; (f) a condition governing an activity.

(a) That which happens, an occurrence, event, a happening; also, a future event, that which is to come, something that will happen; what of thinges hit were (what manere of thinges bifel) that, what event brought it about that, how it came about that; (b) thing(es that ben (is) to comen, thinges that ben coming (toward), thinges that shal fallen, etc., thing(s that will happen, future event(s; thinges acoming, thing(es to comen, toward thinges, future event(s; thing(es that mai bifallen (bitiden), thing that might ben, thing(s that might happen, possible or potential future event(s; thing that is agon, thing(es that ben (is) passed, past event(s.

(a) That which is spoken or heard, a spoken remark, command, request, account, question, etc.; also, the content or matter of what is said or heard, an object of speech, prayer, etc.; also in proverbs; asken (bidden, etc.) ~; heren thing(es, seien (speken, tellen, etc.) thing(es, etc.; (b) an object of knowledge or thought; an idea, intellectual conception, a belief, thought; also, an intention; connen (knouen, thinken, witen, etc.) ~, smegen bi ~, etc.; heren (lernen) neue thinges, to hear of novelties, learn about new ideas or beliefs; (c) that which is written; information or instruction conveyed in writing, written discourse; an individual composition, a piece of music, etc.; (d) a fact; ~ preved, a proven fact; (e) a skill; connen (lernen) ~.

(a) An existing state, a condition; (b) a state of affairs; pl. circumstances; (c) med. & physiol. a health condition; an ailment, a sore, blemish, wound, etc. on the body; a physical complication resulting from a morbid condition or an injury.

(a) A matter of interest or concern; (b) that which is to be taken into account; a consideration; also, a point for consideration; in (over, up) alle thinges, above all other considerations; (c) a particular, detail, respect; in (thurgh, of, on, etc.) al thing (alle thinges), in every respect (all respects); in other (som) thinges, in other (some) respects.

(a) An occupation, a business; that which pertains to a particular business; a craft; also, a duty; don (werken) ~, to conduct (one's) business; (b) any resource employed in the conduct of a particular craft, business, etc.; expertise; talent; (c) usu. pl. used as a general term for various items of a class which are employed in the practice of an art, a business, craft, etc.: equipment, instruments, wares, medicaments, etc.; fresh thinges, ?fresh or unsalted ingredients.

A contract; also, a stipulation or particular in a legal document; also, ?a subsidy [quot. a1464].

In misc. senses: (a) a reason; also, a purpose; a cause; for than ~, because; for this ~, for this reason, on account of this; for what (which) ~, why; wherefore; (b) sake, interest, account; for hire (goddes, mannes, etc.) ~, for her (God's, mankind's, etc.) sake; (c) a way of doing something; a way of behaving; (someone's) conduct; also, a stratagem [quot. a1393]; in mani thinges, in many ways; also, in adv. phrase: what ~, in whatever way; (d) a phenomenon; also, an object of wonder, a marvel; a miracle; also, a monster [quot. c1400]; selcouth (selli, wonder) ~; meten a ~, to dream of a wonder; (e) an instrument, a means; (f) gram. that which is signified by a noun; also, the word 'thing'.

With weakened or no semantic content, used instead of a more precise term: (a) where a more precise word was not or appears not to have been available to the writer or speaker; (b) as a euphemism: a genital part; prive ~; (c) for an unspecified amount or measure.

With imprecise semantic content, used as the most general of terms: (a) for any substance, concept, attribute, etc.;—used in references to the purview or jurisdiction of God or a celestial being; (b) for any of several items drawn from different classes and related only through the concept being illustrated or expressed;—sometimes with deprecatory force [quots. c1390 & c1395]; also, any object of loathing, love, desire, etc.; also in proverbs and prov. expressions; (c) to supply a noun unexpressed in a Latin source (freq. corresponding to the substantive use of a Latin adj.); (d) for that which is explicitly expressed by a noun, clause, etc.;—freq. in pred. nom. construction; (e) in emphatic parenthetical expressions, oaths, and asseverations; bi al ~; for) soth ~, to sothere ~, in truth; (f) gram. pl. for the characteristics or aspects of a specified part of speech, such as mood, tense, gender, number, etc.

(a) In cpds. and combs.: ani ~, q.v.; ei ~, anything; everi ~, q.v.; hure thinges [OE hūru-þinga], especially; no ~, q.v.; non ~, q.v.; som ~, q.v.; (b) in adv. phrase: at the first ~, first.

A council; also, an assembly convened for judicial purposes.

In surname and place names [see Smith PNElem.2.204].