Etymology

cp. OIcel þeim < PGmc *þaimiz ‘those’ (object); cp. OE þām, Go þáim, OFris thām, OS thēm, OHG dēm; see further þay.  WA þam may show formal input from the native cognate.

PGmc Ancestor

*þaimiz

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

þeim ‘them’
(ONP þeir (CV))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far teim, teimum, ONorw þeim, þæim, OSw þaim, þēm, þom, ODan them, thæm

OE Cognate

þām ‘those’ (object)

Phonological and morphological markers

ON /ei/ &lt; PGmc */ai/

Summary category

A1*

Attestation

Still predominantly N/EM in late ME, but with a number of occurrences also in East Anglia, the SE and SW: on the medieval distribution of the Norse-derived third person pronouns (and their variant spellings), see esp. Samuels 1972: 70–2, Ritt and Morse-Gagne, LAEME map 00063930 and LALME dot map for item 8.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

WA 11, 61, 106 etc.

WA instances include occurrences in þa(i)m selfe ‘themselves’, usually printed as one word.

Bibliography

MED theim (pron.), OED them (pron., adj., and n.), Bj. 50, de Vries þeim, Mag. þeim (2), AEW ðǣm, ðām