dij

• IPA^(key): /dɛi̯/

• Audio:

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• Hyphenation: dij
• Rhymes: -ɛi̯

From Middle Dutch die, from Old Dutch *thio, from Proto-West Germanic *þeuh, from Proto-Germanic *þeuhą. Compare West Frisian tsjea, English thigh, Icelandic þjó.

The expected modern form would be *die. The diphthongised form may have originated in the plural, where Middle Dutch dien could easily become dîen. Note the variant knijen for knieën in Early Modern Dutch. In the case of dij, the diphthong was likely reinforced by desire to avoid homophony with die (pronoun).

dij f (plural dijen, diminutive dijtje n)

1. thigh

• dijbeen
• dijenkletser

• Afrikaans: dy

From Middle Dutch dî, from Old Dutch thī, from Proto-Germanic *þiz.

dij

1. (archaic or obsolete, personal pronoun) Second-person singular, objective: thee

• dijn, du

Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sa. See Dutch die.

dij

1. (relative) who, which, that

Cognates include Northern Sami dii and Skolt Sami tij.

dij

1. ye, you (plural)

• Joshua Wilbur (2014) A grammar of Pite Saami, Berlin: Language Science Press