Etymology Map
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Their

3 stages from Old Norse to English.

Today it means belonging to or associated with them

Where does the word "their" come from? It comes from Old Norse þeirra, passing through Middle English before entering English (1400s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
þeirra
Old Norse · medieval
"of them"
genitive plural of the demonstrative 'sá', 'that one'
2
Stage 2 of 3
þeir
Middle English · 1200s
"belonging to them"
spread south from the Danelaw, replacing Old English 'hiera', which sounded too close to 'her'
3
Stage 3 of 3
their
English · 1400s
"belonging to them"
a rare case of a core pronoun borrowed from another language, reaching London English last
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Read the full story

Their’s story begins in Old Norse: þeirra meant “of them.” Genitive plural of the demonstrative 'sá', 'that one'. By 1200s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as þeir. Spread south from the Danelaw, replacing Old English 'hiera', which sounded too close to 'her'. It reached English by 1400s as their. A rare case of a core pronoun borrowed from another language, reaching London English last. Today, their means belonging to or associated with them.