prithee
2
9.9
An old way of saying please when making a polite request
- interjection
- /ˈprɪð.iː/
- Archaic
:
te ruego
- "WHEN ALL THE BEAUTIFUL MAIDENS "WHO WERE IN LOVE WITH HIM, "HE SINGLED OUT THE DAMSEL OF HIS CHOICE "AND HE SAID TO HER, "PRITHEE, MOST SWEET AND GENTLE LADY, THOU MUST BE MY QUEEN."
- Oh, prithee
Examples
-
- Oh, prithee, sir.
-
Oh, do not torment me, prithee.
-
No burning leaf; prithee, let no bird call! "WILLS
Fiction book (2000) -
Prithee... ...unpin me here.
-
prithee, can you help me with this task?
-
I prithee, tell me your thoughts on the matter.
-
Aye, prithee, do join us for dinner tonight.
Synonyms
8
7.6
A polite, pleading way to ask someone for something
is old fashioned and polite without the childish pleading or extra insistence
please
vsprithee
1.0
To ask someone in a polite way
is old fashioned and used for polite requests rather than modern speech
Surface Forms
prithee main
Etymology
The word prithee comes from the old phrase pray thee, where pray meant 'ask' and thee meant 'you'. So prithee is like saying 'I ask you' or 'please', which is why it was used to make polite requests in old speech.