An archaic word meaning 'please' or 'I beg you,' used to politely request something in old English.
From Middle English 'preye thee' (pray thee), combining 'pray' with the pronoun 'thee.' It contracted over time into a single word as casual speech evolved in Early Modern English.
This word shows how we naturally squash words together in casual speech—the same way you might say 'gonna' instead of 'going to.' Shakespeare used 'prithee' constantly, and it's a perfect example of how polite requests change: we went from 'I pray thee' to 'please' to 'can you' in just a few centuries.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.