thigh

From Middle English thigh, thegh, thiȝ, theȝhe, þigh, þyȝh, from Old English þēoh, þīoh, from Proto-West Germanic *þeuh, from Proto-Germanic *þeuhą, from Proto-Indo-European *tewk-. See also West Frisian tsjea, Dutch dij, Middle High German diech, Icelandic þjó; also Irish tóin (“hind, rump”), Lithuanian táukas (“fat”), Russian тук (tuk, “animal fat”).

• IPA^(key): /θaɪ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪ

thigh (plural thighs)

1. The upper leg of a human, between the hip and the knee. [from 8th c.]
   • c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     I coniure thee by Rosalines bright eyes, By her High forehead, and her Scarlet lip, By her Fine foote, Straight leg, and Quiuering thigh, And the Demeanes, that there Adiacent lie, That in thy likenesse thou appeare to vs.

   • 8 November 1800, Jane Austen, a letter:

     About ten days ago, in cocking a pistol in the guard-room at Marcau, he accidentally shot himself through the Thigh.

   • 1991, Kathy Lette, The Llama Parlour:

     ‘Why not pay up now, kiddo?’ he suggested magnanimously, patting me on the thigh.

   • 31 March 2011, The Guardian:

     The 23-year-old was substituted in the 75th minute of France's goalless friendly draw with Croatia on Tuesday after suffering an injury to his thigh.

2. That part of the leg of vertebrates (or sometimes other animals) which corresponds to the human thigh in position or function; the tibia of a horse, the tarsus of a bird; the third leg-section of an insect. [from 14th c.]
   • 2009, Fred Thompson, Grillin' with Gas:

     Add the chicken thighs, close the bag, and squish the marinade to coat the chicken.

   • 23 February 2011, Ian Sample, The Guardian:

     The newly discovered dinosaur Brontomerus mcintoshi may have used its huge muscular thighs to kick predators and rivals.

• Hight, hight

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /hɪɟ/
• (Connacht, Ulster) IPA^(key): /hiː/

thigh

1. lenited form of tigh

thigh (plural thighes)

1. alternative spelling of þigh (“thigh”)