They

Part of speech: pronoun

Pronunciation: /ðeɪ/

Definitions

1. This term signifies a plural pronoun that represents a group of people or objects, functions as a replacement for a previously referenced noun, and can also be used as a singular pronoun for those not adhering to binary gender norms
2. This word denotes a plural pronoun that stands in for multiple individuals or objects, acts as a substitute for prior nouns, and serves as a singular option for non-binary gender identities
3. Used to refer to more than one person or thing previously mentioned ; employed as a gender-neutral singular pronoun for someone who does not identify strictly as male or female

Etymology: Old English had a pronoun problem. Its third-person plural was "hīe," which sounded so much like "he" that speakers kept confusing the two. Around the 1400s, English dropped "hīe" altogether and borrowed a replacement from Old Norse, the language of the Vikings who settled much of northern and eastern England. Their word "þeir" was the plural of a demonstrative, a pointing word meaning roughly "that one." Middle English speakers took it up as "þei," and it displaced the older form. The new word fit in easily. It began with the same "th" sound as native words like "the," "that," and "this," so it sounded at home among them. Its roots reach back to a Proto-Germanic word meaning "those," which also gave Old English "þā" and Scots "thae." The singular use is older than many people expect. Writers were using "they" for a single person by 1300, and the 1325 poem "Cursor Mundi" is one early example.