Ta

Part of speech: interjection

Definitions

1. An informal British way of saying thank you, often used in casual conversation
2. A casual word of gratitude, common in British speech, meaning thanks
3. Used in everyday British speech to express thanks for something received or done

Etymology: The everyday British "ta" is most likely a child's pronunciation of "thanks," which children often say before they can manage the full word. Some etymologists instead trace it back through the centuries to the Proto-Germanic "*þankaz," the root of "thanks" itself, so the two explanations may be the same word arriving by different routes. The spelling also has a musical life. In the 19th century the seventh note of the scale, which had been "si," was renamed "ti" to avoid two notes sharing the same initial letter. The vowel was then changed to "a" to mark a flattened note, which produced "ta" as a syllable in sol-fa singing.

Synonyms: thanks, thank you, cheers