Etymology

From OE þyncan, reflecting a common Gmc wk. v. (cp. also Go þugkjan, OFris thinka, thinza, OS thunkian, Du dunken, OHG dunken). It is possible to claim that ME stem-final /k/ shows the influence of the ON cognate (cp. OIcel þykkja) on the form of the OE v., which ought to have developed assibilated /tʃ/ (see esp. Krygier 2000), but arguably not necessary, and most authorities are content with a native derivation. Cp. þenk.

PGmc Ancestor

*þunkjan-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

þykkja 'to seem'
(ONP þykkja (2) (vb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far tykja, Icel þykja, Norw tykkja, ODan thykk(i)æ, Dan tykkes, OSw þykkia, Sw tycka(s)

OE Cognate

 þyncan 'to seem'

Phonological and morphological markers

[absence of palatalization of */k/] (possibly diagnostic)

Summary category

CCC2

Attestation

Closely mirrors þenk (with which it merged formally in the present stem of most dial), which is to say spellings clearly denoting a stop /k/ are fairly common throughout ME, esp. in the later period, when <ch>-spellings are much rarer and confined to the S and W of England, esp. the SW and SWM (see further LALME dot maps 298, 300, 302).

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Gaw 348, 1111, 1241, etc.; Pe 267, 316, 552, etc.; Cl 744; Pat 8, 43, 427 etc.; WA 326, 363, 867 etc.

Bibliography

MED thinken (v.1) , OED3 think (v.1) , HTOED , Dance þynke, de Vries þykkja (2), Mag. þykja, Bj-L. tykke, Orel *þunkjanan, Kroonen *þunkjan-, AEW ðyncan