A Thing Was Originally an Assembly
A thing is any object or matter. The Old English word meant a public meeting, and Iceland's parliament still carries the name.
A thing is any object, matter or circumstance. Its origin is startlingly specific for so vague a word: Old English *þing* and Old Norse *þing* meant a public assembly or court. The path to the modern sense ran through *the matter discussed at the assembly*, then *any matter*, then *anything at all*. Iceland's parliament is still the *Alþingi*, founded in 930 and among the oldest in the world, and Norway's is the *Storting*.
- Any object. *A useful thing.*
- A matter. *The main thing.*
- An assembly (historical). *A Norse thing.*
- Althing — Iceland's parliament. *The Althing.*
- Old English — *þing*, an assembly. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | thing | A thing. |
| Plural | things | Things. |
| Compound | anything | Anything. |
| Icelandic | Alþingi | The Althing. |
| Norwegian | Storting | The Storting. |
- Put your things away.Objects.
- The main thing is to stay calm.Matter.
- The Althing was founded in 930.History.
Assemblies still called things
- Alþingi — Iceland, founded 930
- Storting — Norway's parliament
- Folketing — Denmark's parliament
- Tynwald — the Isle of Man, from Norse *thingvöllr*
- Thingvellir — the Icelandic plain where the Althing met
Old English *þing*, an assembly, council or matter, of Germanic origin, related to Old Norse *þing*.
How did thing come to mean anything at all?
Through the matter discussed at an assembly, then any matter, then any object whatever. The sense widened at each step.
Which parliaments keep the old name?
Iceland's Althing, Norway's Storting and Denmark's Folketing all preserve the Norse word for an assembly.