Now chiefly literary or formal. Forms: α. 1–3 ðus, 1–5 þus, 3 þuss (Orm.), ð-, þusse, 3–4 þos, 4 þous, Sc. thws, 6 Sc. thuss, 4– thus. β. 3 (Orm.) tuss, 3–4 tus, 5 tas; (also 1, 4 dus). [= OS. thus, MDu., Du. dus, app. f. the demonstrative stem of THAT or THIS, but the pre-Teut. history is obscure. OHG. and MHG. have sus, MDu., Du. zus, which appear to belong to the stem of so. Cf. also THIS adv.]
1. In this way, like this. a. In the way just indicated. † And thus far forth, and so forth, ‘and the like’ (obs. rare–1). (In quot. c. 1430 pleonastically before such.)
c. 725. Corpus Gloss., 26. Sicini [siccine], ac ðus.
c. 888. K. Ælfred, Boeth., xvi. § 4. Ða se Wisdom ða þis [spell] ðus areaht hæfde.
971. Blickl. Hom., 7. Hu mæʓ þis þus ʓeweorþan?
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Luke xxiv. 46. Ðus is awriten & þus ʓebyrede crist þolian.
c. 1200. Ormin, 235–7. & tuss ȝho seȝȝe inn hire þohht … Þuss hafeþþ Drihhtin don wiþþ me.
1340. Ayenb., 53. Þos he lyest al his time, and þe niȝt: and þane day. Ibid., 21. Þous geþ al oure lyf.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, II. 508. Thws in the hyllis levyt he.
c. 1430. Life St. Kath. (1884), 45. By þus suche tormentes þou schalt somtyme se me wyth sayntes in blis.
1530. Palsgr., 720/1. You ought to be a shamed to skowlde thus as you do.
1606. Holland, Sueton., 103. Victualling houses, tavernes and thus farre foorth.
1689. Hickeringill, Wks. (1716), II. 39. Thus the Hogen-Dutchman got Money.
1796. H. Hunter, trans. St.-Pierre’s Stud. Nat. (1799), I. 459. It is thus that our general maxims become the sources of error.
1840. Lardner, Geom., 98. The base and altitude of the parallelogram thus formed.
1847. C. Brontë, J. Eyre, iv. When thus gentle, Bessie seemed to me the best, prettiest, kindest being in the world.
1908. [Miss E. Fowler], Betw. Trent & Ancholme, 249. And thus the music goes on.
b. In the following manner; as follows; in these words.
c. 888. K. Ælfred, Boeth., xvi. 94. Ða ong[an he] eft ʓiddian & þus cwæð.
a. 900. O. E. Martyrol., 23 April, 60. Ond he sanctus Georgius him to dryhtne ʓebæd ond þus cwæd: ‘Hælende Crist.’
c. 975. Rushw. Gosp., Matt. i. 18. Kristes soþlice kennisse þus wæs.
c. 1200. Vices & Virtue, 3. Godes awene muðe, ðe ðus seið: ‘Vade prius [etc.].’
a. 1300. XV Signs bef. Judgm., 33, in E. E. P. (1862), 8. Þe first tokning sal be þusse … þe sterris … sal adun … be cast.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 61. On þe Wissonday … Com bode to þe kyng, & þus gan þei seie, Þat [etc.].
1418. S. Thomas, in E. E. Wills (1883), 38. Knowe alle men þat I … make þus my testament.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, xxv. 28. The dergy [dirige] begynis thuss.
1697. Dryden, Æneid, II. 2. From his lofty couch he thus began.
1766. Goldsm., Vic. W., x. After tea … she began thus.
1837. Lockhart, Scott, xliv. On the 13th [of May, 1819] he wrote thus to Captain Ferguson.
c. In the manner now being indicated or exemplified.
c. 1440. York Myst., vii. 6. Here vn-to you þus am I sente.
1535. Coverdale, Jer. li. 64. When thou hast redde out the boke, bynde a stone to it, and cast it in the myddest of Euphrates, and saye: Euen thus shal Babilon syncke.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., II. ii. 203. While grace is saying hood mine eyes Thus with my hat. Ibid. (1605), Macb., I. i. 49. It is the bloody Businesse, which informes Thus to mine Eyes.
1727. W. Mather, Yng. Man’s Comp., 36. A Period or full Stop, thus mark’t (.).
1812. J. Wilson, Isle of Palms, II. 423. But why thus gleams Fitz-Owen’s eye?
1850. Tennyson, In Mem., xcviii. 1. Risest thou thus, dim dawn?
d. Ellipt. for thus says, said (referring either to a preceding or subsequent speech). poet. or arch.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 632. Thus much Hall.
1667. Milton, P. L., XII. 79. To whom thus Michael: Justly thou abhorr’st [etc.].
1757. W. Wilkie, Epigon., VI. 164. Cassandra thus; and thus the Paphian maid: Your gen’rous love [etc.].
1847. Tennyson, Princess, 160. ‘And yet, to speak the truth, I rate your chance Almost at naked nothing.’ Thus the king; And I [etc.].
† e. Thus and thus, expressing minuteness or detail in the description given. Obs.
13[?]. Cursor M., 26203 (Fairf.). Þus & þus do þi penaunce [Cott. For þus, and þus, þou do penance].
1413. Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton), I. xxi. (1859), 21. Suche day and tyme he dyde thus and thus.
1535. Coverdale, 1 Kings xiv. 5. Speake thou therfore vnto her thus & thus.
1605. Shaks., Lear, I. ii. 114. The wisedome of Nature can reason it thus, and thus, yet Nature finds [etc.].
1662. Stillingfl., Orig. Sacr., III. ii. § 5. One of the same kind with our selves, thus and thus formed.
f. Preceded by redundant as. (Cf. AS conj. 34.)
1426. Lydg., De Guil.’s Pilgr., 4195. I mene as thus: conceyveth al [etc.]. Ibid. (1430–40), Bochas (Bodl. MS.), lf. 144. I meane as thus, I ha no fresshe licour. Ibid., 150/2. I meane as thus, yell ther be set a lawe. Ibid. (c. 1450), Secrees, 757. I mene as thus by a dyvisioun Toward hym sylff kepe his Estat Royal.
1847. C. Brontë, J. Eyre, xxxvii. When I have clasped her once more to my heart, as I do now; and kissed her, as thus.
1865. J. T. White, in Reader, No. 139. 234/1. The article next proceeds as thus.
2. In accordance with this; accordingly, and so; consequently, therefore.
c. 1200. Ormin, Pref. 81. & tuss iss Crist Amminadab Þurrh gastliȝ witt ȝehatenn, Fort þatt he toc o rode daeþ Wiþþ all hiss fulle wille.
c. 1315. Shoreham, vii. 859. And þos þat chyld to nyȝt y-bore, Þaȝ hyt deyde, hyt were for-lore Ȝef crystnynge nere.
c. 1407. H. Scogan, Moral Balade, 97 (MS. Ashm.). By avncetrye þus may yee no-thing clayme.
1591. Shaks., Two Gent., III. i. 17. Thus (for my duties sake) I rather chose To crosse my friend … Then [etc.].
1796. H. Hunter, trans. St.-Pierre’s Stud. Nat. (1799), II. 34. Thus, for example, the signs of tempest off the Cape of Good-Hope far exceed those on our coasts.
1857. Buckle, Civiliz., I. i. 19. Thus we have man modifying nature, and nature modifying man.
1892. Stevenson, Across the Plains, 144. In this path he must thus have preceded … all contemporary roundeleers.
3. Qualifying an adj. or adv.: To this extent, number, or degree; as … as this; so; esp. thus far, to this point (often used to indicate the end of a quotation); thus much, so much, as much as this. In quot. 1393 correlative to as = as … as (obs.).
Beowulf, 336. Ne seah ic elþeodiʓe þus maniʓe men modiʓlicran.
a. 700. Epinal Gloss. (O.E.T.), 1037. Tantisper, þus suiþae.
c. 725. Corpus Gloss., 1982. Ðas suiðe.
a. 800. Erfurt Gloss., 1037. Dus suidae.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Hom., I. 316. Seʓe me, beceapode ʓe ðus micel landes?
c. 1205. Lay., 29625. Woldest þu þus sone faren aȝein to Rome?
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 758. For ic kan craft & ic kan lyste & þarfore ic am þus þriste.
c. 1369. Chaucer, Dethe Blaunche, 904. But thus moche dar I sayn.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. IV. 181. Hue is assoilid þus [v.r. as] sone as hure self lykeþ.
a. 1451. Fortescue, Wks. (1869), 550. Thus longe ys the cooste of Englonde on the oon syde of hym by see.
1531. Dial. on Laws Eng., II. xlv. Q iij b. There shall not be layde vpon a ded persone but … thus many tapers or candels.
1578. Banister, Hist. Man, I. 22. I write thus much for the excuse of Vesalius, because he is so apertly reproved.
1596. Shaks., Tam. Shr., I. ii. 104. Therefore let me be thus bold with you. Ibid. (1599), Hen. V., Epil. Thus farre … Our bending Author hath pursu’d the Story.
1681. Dryden, Abs. & Achit., 803. Thus far ’tis duty: but here fix the mark.
1746. Francis, Hor., Epist., I. xvii. 55. Then you confess, That who succeeds, thus difficult his Part, Gives the best Proof of Courage.
1823. Southey, Hist. Penins. War, I. xii. 617. The happy issue, thus far, of their civil administration.
1884. W. C. Smith, Kildrostan, 53. Yet you can speak thus calmly of unsaying All we have said.
1883. Freeman, in Stephens, Life (1895), II. 374. The legend … has thus much of foundation.
Hence † Thus v. (nonce-use) intr., to do thus.
1605. Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. iii. IV. Captaines, 212. Six dayes together had the Hebrews thus’t About the Town, seven times the Seventh they must.
