thye

"Thye" is a word that appears in older forms of English, particularly in Shakespearean texts and some religious works. It is an archaic possessive pronoun, equivalent to the modern English "their." For example, in a sentence from the King James Bible, "they shall inherit the earth" might have been phrased as "thye shall inherit the earth." The word signifies possession or belonging to a group of people or things.

The usage of "thye" is now obsolete in standard English. It has been replaced by "their" and "theirs" over the centuries. While not commonly encountered in contemporary writing or speech, understanding "thye" is helpful for those who study historical literature or biblical texts. Its presence serves as a linguistic marker of an earlier stage of the English language, demonstrating the evolution of grammar and vocabulary. The transition from "thye" to "their" is part of a broader pattern of linguistic change that has shaped modern English.