Thamnobia 
Thamnobia (tham-no'bi-ji), H. [NL. (Swain- 
sou, 1831), < Gr. Ba/tvos, a bush, + /3/of, life.] 
A genus of Indian chat-like birds, T. fulicata is 
6} inches long in the male, glossy blue-black, with chestnut 
under tail-coverts, and a white wing-patch; it inhabits 
central and southern India and Ceylon. A second species 
is T. cambaieneis, of central and northern India. Also 
called Saxicoloides. 
thamnophile (tham'no-fil), . [< NL. T/iam- 
iiophilim, q. v.] A bush-shrike. _ . 
Thamnophilinae (tham"no-n-H'ne), it. pi. [NL., 
< ThaiunophilHn + -iftSf.] If. In Swainson's 
classification, a subfamily of Laniidse or shrikes, 
containing the thamuophiles or bush-shrikes. 
It was a large and heterogeneous assemblage of some os- 
cine with non-oscine birds, mostly species with a stout 
dentirostral bill, and considered by the old authors to be 
shrikes. 
2. A subfamily of Formicariidee, contrasted 
with Formicarniix and Grallariinse, containing 
formiearioid passerine birds with robust hooked 
Head of Bush-shrike (Batara cinerea), a typical member of the 
Ttiamnophilinse, about one half natural size. 
bill like a shrike's and moderate or short tarsi, 
characteristic of the Neotropical region. They 
spread from Mexico to the Argentine Republic, but are 
wanting in Chili and Patagonia, and are also absent from 
the Antilles. The genera are ten, and the species numer- 
ous, collectively known as bush-shrikes, and playing the 
same part in the regions they inhabit as the true shrikes. 
thamnophiline (tham-nof'i-lin), a. [< Tliam- 
nophilinse, q. v.] Of or pertaining to the Tltam- 
nophilinee. 
Thamnophilus (tham-nof 'i-lus), n. [NL. 
(Vieillot, 1816), < Gr. 6d/tvof, a bush, shrub, + 
0tfe<v, love.] 1. The most extensive genus of 
bush-shrikes. With its several sections and synonyms 
it is considered to cover more than 50 species, exclusive 
of many others which have from time to time been 
wrongly placed in it. T. doliatus, upon which the name 
was originally based, is a characteristic example. 
2. A genus of coleopterous insects. Schiinherr, 
1826. 
than (than), adv. and conj. [Early mod. E. also 
then, in both uses (now used exclusively as an 
adverb) ; < ME. than, than, thanne, thonne, < AS. 
than, than, usually thanne, thonne, thesnne, then, 
than, = OS. than = OFries. than, dan = D. dan 
= MLG. dan, den = OHG. danna, MHG. danne, 
denne, G. dann, adv., then, denn, conj., for, then, 
= Goth, than, adv. and couj. ; with an obscure 
formative -n, -ne, from the pronominal stem tlia 
in the, that, there, etc. : see the, that.] I. adv. 
At that time ; then. See then. [Old and prov. 
Eng.] 
Thanne gart sche to greithe gaili alle thinges. 
William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.), 1. 4274. 
Forthe than went this gentyll knyght, 
With a carefull chere. 
Lytell Oeste of Robyn Hode (Child's Ballads, V. 49). 
II. conj. A particle used after comparatives, 
and certain words which express comparison 
or diversity, such as more, better, other, other- 
wise, rather, else, etc., and introducing the sec- 
ond member of a comparison. Than has the same 
case (usually the nominative) after it as it has before it, in 
accordance with the syntactical rule that "conjunctions 
connect . . . the same cases of nouns and pronouns " : as, 
he is taller than I (am) ; I am richer than he (is) ; " thrice 
fairer than (I) myself (am) " (Shak., Venus and Adonis, 1. 7) ; 
they like you better than (they like) me. 
Thenne was ich al so fayn as foul of fair monvenynge 
Gladder than gleo-man [is] that gold hath to gyf te. 
Piers Plowman (C), xii. 103. 
Among them that are born of women there hath not 
risen a greater than John the Baptist ; notwithstanding 
he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than 
he- Mat. xi. 11. 
I will sooner trust the wind 
With feathers, or the troubled sea with pearl, 
; Than her with any thing. 
Beau, and Fl., Philaster, v. 5. 
This age, this worse then iron age, 
This sincke of synne. 
Times' Whistle (E. E. T. S.), p. 2. 
I am better acquainted with the country than you are. 
Cotton, in Walton's Angler, ii. 225. 
He [King John] had more of Lightning in him than [he 
had] of Thunder. Baker, Chronicles, p. 76. 
There is no art that hath bin . . . more soyl'd and slub- 
ber'd with aphorisming pedantry then the art of policie. 
Mttton, Reformation in Eng., ii. 
He desires to be answerable no farther than he is guilty. 
Swift, Tale of a Tub, Apol. 
The late events seem to have no other effect than to 
harden them in error. Prescott, Ferd. and Isa,, ii. 7. 
6264 
No sooner the bells leave otf than the diligence rattles in. 
Browning, l : p at a Villa. 
A noun -clause introduced by that sometimes follows than : 
as, I had rather be a sufferer myself than that you should 
be ; and the that is now and then omitted in poetry. 
Since I suppose we are made to be no stronger 
Than faults may shake our frames. 
Shalt., M. for M., ii. 4. 133. 
Sometimes the preceding comparative is left to be inferred 
from the context ; sometimes it is omitted from mere care- 
lessness. A noun or a pronoun after than has a show of 
analogy with one governed by a preposition, and is some- 
times blunderingly put in the objective case even when 
properly of subjective value : as, none knew better than 
him. Even Milton says than whom, and this is more usual : 
for example, than whom there is none better. 
thanage (tha'naj), n. [< thane + -age.'} (a) 
The dignity or rank of a thane ; the state of be- 
ing a thane, (b) The district or territory owned 
or administered by a thane ; also, the tenure by 
which the thane or baron held it. 
thanatography (than-a-tog'ra-fl), n. [< Gr. 
BdvaTOf, death, + -ypa<j>ia, < ypaifeiv, write.] A 
narrative of one's death: distinguished from 
biography, a narrative of one's life. Thackeray, 
Catharine, vi. [Rare.] 
thanatoid (than'a-toid), a. [< Gr. "Bavaroudiji,, 
contr. davarhSris, "resembling death, < Odvarof, 
death (fhi/attEiv, Qavelv, ^ 6av, die), + eMof, form.] 
1. Resembling death; apparently dead. Dun- 
glison. 2. Deadly, as a venomous snake. 
thanatology (than-a-tol'o-ji), n. [< Gr. Bavarof, 
death, + -hoyia, < Aeyetv, say: see -otogy.~\ The 
doctrine of death ; a discourse on death. 
thanatophidia (than"a-to-fid'i-a),.^?. [NL., < 
Gr. Bdvarof, death, + NL. ophidia.] Venomous 
or poisonous snakes in general, as the cobra, 
the asp, the adder, etc. The name is scarcely tech- 
nical in zoology, though so employed by Fitzinger ("Sys- 
tema Reptilium," 1843); it was also used by Fayer for his 
work treating of such serpents of India. It corresponds 
in fact, however, to the two suborders Solenoglypha and 
Proteroglypha, or the crotaliform and cobriform ophidi- 
ans, and is sometimes written with a capital. 
thanatophidian (than"a-t6-fid'i-an), a. and 11. 
[< thanatophidia + -an.] 1. a. Of or pertain- 
ing to the thanatophidia. 
II. n. Any one of the thanatophidia. 
thanatopsis (than-a-top'sis), n. [< Gr. Bdvaroc, 
death, + oiptf, a sight, view, < -\/ OTT in oifxaBai, 
f ut. of opdv, see : see optic.] A view or contem- 
plation of death. Bryant. 
thane (than), . [< ME. thane, thein, theign (ML. 
tliainus), < AS. thegen, thegn, a soldier, atten- 
dant, servant of the king, a minister, nobleman, 
= OS. thegan = OHG. degan,*&n attendant, ser- 
vant, soldier, disciple, MHG. degen, a soldier, = 
Icel. thegn, a soldier, warrior, freeman, = Goth. 
*thigns (not recorded); perhaps = Gr. TCKVOV, 
child, hence in Tent, boy, attendant, soldier, 
servant (cf . AS. mago, child, boy, servant, man : 
see mai/2) ; with formative -n (-no-), orig. pp., 
from the root seen in Gr. TIKTCIV, TCKCIV, beget, 
bring forth, rikof, birth, Skt. toJca, child. Oth- 
erwise akin to AS. thedw = OHG. diu = Goth. 
thins (thiwa-, orig. thigwa-): see thew 1 . The 
proper modern form would be *thain, parallel 
with rain, main 1 , sain, rail, sail, tail, etc.] In 
early Eng. hist., a member of a rank above that 
of the ordinary freeman, and differing from that 
of the athelings, or hereditary ancient nobility. 
The distinguishing marks of all thanes were liability to 
military service and the ownership of land. Of the various 
classes of thanes the chief was that of king's thanes, whose 
members were subject to no jurisdiction but that of the 
king. The rank increased in power about the time of Al- 
fred, and about the reign of Athelstan any freeman who 
owned five hides of land or had made three sea-voyages 
was eligible to thanehood. The thanehood corresponded 
nearly to the knighthood after the Norman Conquest. In 
the reign of Henry II. the title fell into disuse. In Scotland 
the thanes were a class of non-military tenants of the 
crown, and the title was in use till the end of the fifteenth 
century. The notion derived from Boece, and adopted by 
Shakspere in "Macbeth," that the Scotch thanes were all 
transformed into earls, has no historical foundation. In 
some recent historical works the Anglo-Saxon thegn is used 
in its strict Anglo-Saxon sense. 
The fully qualified freeman who has an estate of land 
may be of various degrees of wealth and dignity, from the 
ceorl with a single hide to the thegn with five hides. 
Stubbs, Const. Hist., 37. 
With the rise of kingship a new social distinction began 
to grow up, on the ground, not of hereditary rank in the 
community, but of service done to the king. The king's 
thegns were his body-guard, the one force ever ready to 
carry out his will. They were his nearest and most con- 
stant counsellors. As the gathering of petty tribes into 
larger kingdoms swelled the number of eorls in each 
realm, and in a corresponding degree diminished their 
social importance, it raised in equal measure the rank of 
the king's thegns. A post among them was soon coveted 
and won by the greatest and noblest. 
J. R. Oreen, Making of Eng., p. 179. 
thanedom (than'dum), . [< thane + -<?.] 
1. The district held or administered by a 
thane. 
thank 
Now, from the mountain's misty throne, 
Sees, in thanedom once his own, 
His ashes undistinguished lie, 
His place, his power, his memory die. 
Scott, L. of L. M., v. 2. 
2. The power, and especially the judicial func- 
tions, of a thane: as, the thanedom of Macbeth, 
thanehood (than'hiid), H. [< thane + -hood.'] 
1. The office, dignity, or character of a thane. 
2. The collective body of thanes. 
That later nobility of the thegnhood, which, as we have 
seen, supplanted the ancient nobility of the eorls. 
E. A. Freeman, Amer. Lects., p. 3C7. 
thane-land (than'land), n, 1. Land held by a 
thane. 
Thane-lands were such lands as were granted by charters 
of the Saxon kings to their thanes, with all immunities 
except the threefold necessity of expedition, repair of 
castles, and mending of bridges. Cotvell. 
2. The district over which the jurisdiction of 
a thane extended. 
thaneship (than'ship), n. [< thane + -ship.] 
Same as thanehood. 
Thanet beds. [From Isle of Thanet, in Kent, 
England.] In geol., a series of beds of pale- 
yellow and greenish sand, having a thin layer 
of flints at the bottom, and resting directly on 
the Chalk, thus terming the base of the Tertiary 
in the London Basin, to which this formation is 
peculiar. The thickness of the series varies from 20 to 
00 feet. The fossils which the Thanet beds contain are 
marine, and are varied in character; mollusks are espe- 
cially abundant. 
thangt, n. A Middle English form of thong. 
thank (thangk). n. [< ME. thank, thonk, < AS. 
thane, thonc, thought, grace, favor, content, 
thanks (= OS. thane = OFries. thonk, thank = 
D. dank = MLG. dank, danke = OHG. MHG. 
danc, G. dank = Icel. thokk (thakk-), for orig. 
* thonk ("thank-), = Sw. tack = Dan. tak = Goth. 
thagks, thought), < "thincan (pret. *thanc), etc., 
think : see think 1 . For the phonetic relation of 
thank to think, cf. that of song 1 (Sc. sang) to 
sing; for the connection of thought, cf. min s 
(Q. minne, etc.), thought, remembrance, love.] 
If. Grateful thought ; gratitude; goodwill. 
This encres of hardynesse and myght 
Com him of love, his ladyes thank to winne. 
Chaucer, Troilus, iii. 1777. 
He seide, "In thank I shal it take." 
Rom. of the Rose, 1. 4577. 
2. Expression of gratitude ; utterance of a 
sense of kindness received; acknowledgment 
by words or signs of a benefit or favor con- 
ferred : now used almost exclusively in the 
plural. 
To some y* are good men God sendeth wealth here also, 
and they glue hem great thanke for his gift, and he re- 
wardeth them for the thanke to. 
Sir T. More, Cumfort against Tribulation (1573), fol. 35. 
If ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? 
Luke vi. 32. 
O, good men, eate that good which he hath giuen you, 
and giue him thanks. Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 257. 
[The plural thanks was sometimes used as a singular. 
What a thanks I owe 
The hourly courtesies your goodness gives me ! 
Fletcher and Masainger, A Very Woman, iii. 5.] 
Thanks, a common elliptical expression or acknowledg- 
ment of satisfaction or thankfulness. 
Thanks, good Egeus ; what 's the news with thee? 
Shak., M. N. 1)., i. 1. 21. 
To can or con thank t. See cani. 
thank (thangk), v. [< ME. tJianlcen, thonJcen, < 
AS. thancian, thoncian = OS. thancon = OFries. 
thonkia = D. danken = MLG. danken = OHG. 
danchon, MHG. G. danken = Icel. thakJca = Sw. 
tacka = Dan. takke, thank; from the noun. Cf. 
think 1 ."] I. trans. To express gratitude to, as 
for a favor or benefit conferred; make ac- 
knowledgments to, as of good will or service 
due for kindness bestowed. 
Gretly y thonk God that gart me a-chape. 
William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.), 1. 1248. 
Heavens than* you for 't ! Shak., Tempest, i. 2. 176. 
I humbly thanked him for the good Opinion he pleased 
to conceive of me. ffowell, Letters, I. iv. 24. 
1 thank you, or colloquially abbreviated thank you, a 
polite formula used in acknowledging a favor, as a gift, 
service, compliment, or offer, whether the same is ac- 
cepted or declined. Like other polite formulas, it is often 
used ironically. 
A nne. Will 't please your worship to come in, sir ? 
Slen. No, / thank you, forsooth, heartily. 
Shak., M. W. of W., i. 1. 277. 
I Will thank you, a polite formula introducing a request : 
as, / will thank you to shut the door ; / iritt thank you for 
the mustard. To thank one's self, to have one's self 
to thank, to be obliged to throw the blame on one's self ; 
be solely responsible : used ironically, and generally in 
the imperative. 
Weigh the danger with the doubtful bliss, 
And thanlt yourself if aught should fall amiss. 
Dryden. 
