thigh

the right thigh of a human male

From Middle English thighe, thehe, from Old English þēoh, þīoh, from Proto-Germanic *þeuhą (compare West Frisian tsjea, Dutch dij, Middle High German diech, Icelandic þjó), from Proto-Indo-European *tewk- (compare Irish tóin (“hind, rump”), Lithuanian táukas (“fat”), Russian тук (tuk, “animal fat”)).

• IPA^(key): /θaɪ/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -aɪ

thigh (plural thighs)

1. The upper leg of a human, between the hip and the knee. [from 8th c.]
   • c. 1595, William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet:

     I coniure thee by Rosalines bright eyes, By her High forehead, and her Scarlet lip, By her Fine foote, Straight leg, and Quiuering thigh, And the Demeanes, that there Adiacent lie, That in thy likenesse thou appeare to vs.

   • 1800, Jane Austen, letter, 8 Nov 1800:

     About ten days ago, in cocking a pistol in the guard-room at Marcau, he accidentally shot himself through the Thigh.

   • 1991, Kathy Lette, The Llama Parlour:

     ‘Why not pay up now, kiddo?’ he suggested magnanimously, patting me on the thigh.

   • 2011, The Guardian, 31 Mar 2011:

     The 23-year-old was substituted in the 75th minute of France's goalless friendly draw with Croatia on Tuesday after suffering an injury to his thigh.

2. That part of the leg of vertebrates (or sometimes other animals) which corresponds to the human thigh in position or function; the tibia of a horse, the tarsus of a bird; the third leg-section of an insect. [from 14th c.]
   • 2009, Fred Thompson, Grillin' with Gas:

     Add the chicken thighs, close the bag, and squish the marinade to coat the chicken.

   • 2011, Ian Sample, The Guardian, 23 Feb 2011:

     The newly discovered dinosaur Brontomerus mcintoshi may have used its huge muscular thighs to kick predators and rivals.

• Hight, hight

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /hɪɟ/
• (Connacht, Ulster) IPA^(key): /hiː/

thigh

1. Lenited form of tigh.