þat

þat is a historical neuter demonstrative pronoun used in Old Norse and related Germanic languages to mean “that.” In Old Norse and Old Icelandic it functioned as the neuter form of the demonstrative, contrasting with masculine and feminine forms, and it could serve as a pronoun or a determiner referring to a previously mentioned idea, clause, or neuter noun.

Grammatically, þat inflected for number and case in the older language stages, commonly appearing in the neuter singular for nominative and accusative. It is commonly encountered in phrases such as “þat er …” or “þat var …,” where it introduces or points to something identified in the discourse. In many texts, the form is replaced by other demonstratives as languages evolved.

Orthography and pronunciation center on the thorn letter þ, which represents a voiceless dental fricative similar to the English th in “thin.” The spelling þat is the older form; later Icelandic standardization shifted to þau or þess for related uses, and the modern neuter demonstrative pronoun is það, not þat, in everyday Icelandic. In Old English, a cognate form is þæt, illustrating the shared Germanic heritage of the word.

Etymology and cross-language notes: þat derives from Proto-Germanic demonstrative bases that produced cognates across West Germanic languages, including Old English þæt and related forms in other medieval Germanic tongues. The word is primarily attested in historical texts and is largely restricted to scholarly editions and historical writing today.

Modern usage: In contemporary Icelandic, þat is considered archaic or stylistically marked; the standard modern form is það. The word survives in philological work, textual criticism, and discussions of Old Norse grammar, where it helps illuminate the historical development of demonstratives in the language family.