Thus

How to spell thus

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce thus

What does thus mean?

1. adverbAs a result of what has just been stated; therefore or consequently.

Thus in a sentence

• The supplier raised its prices, and thus our costs increased sharply.

• The bridge was closed for repairs; thus the commute took twice as long.

Where does thus come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a native English word, descending directly from the Old English 'thus' (written with the thorn letter as 'þus'), meaning 'in this way' or 'in this manner'. It is closely related to the Old Saxon and Dutch 'thus', and the underlying form is generally taken to be a derivative of the demonstrative root that also gives us 'this' and 'that', pointing to something near at hand. From the original spatial sense of 'in this manner' the word naturally extended into a logical sense, marking a conclusion drawn from what came before, so that 'thus' came to mean 'as a result' or 'therefore'. It has been part of the language since before the Norman Conquest, which is why it has stayed short and irregular rather than acquiring a Latin-style ending. Because it is so old and high in register, modern writers tend to keep it for formal or academic prose, where it links cause to consequence cleanly.

How the word is built

• thus (a single Old English root word, not formed from prefix or suffix)