Meaning
Used in comparisons, to introduce the basis of comparison.
Etymology
Origin: Old English
From Middle English than, thanne (“than; then”), from Old English þanne, a variant of þonne (“then; when; than”), from Proto-West Germanic *þannē, an alteration of *þan (“then; than”), from Proto-Germanic *þan (“then; than”), from earlier *þam, from Proto-Indo-European *tóm, accusative masculine of *só (“that”, demonstrative pronoun). Cognate with Dutch dan (“then; than”), German denn (“for; so”), German dann (“then”). Doublet of then.
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 13 recorded puzzles:
- 2026-08-29TADHINO
- 2026-05-16AEHNOPT
- 2026-04-08TANHBIO
- 2025-12-16TWARNHO
- 2025-03-01TAYRHDN
- 2025-01-05HTLGINA
- 2024-12-31NATHEPY
- 2024-11-04AHMNOPT
- 2024-07-08HAILNOT
- 2024-03-14TNAIGBH
- 2024-03-03HAELNPT
- 2023-11-06HADEUNT
+1 earlier appearances in the archive.