you

Etymology 1

From Middle English you, yow, ȝow (object case of ye), from Old English ēow (“you”, dative case of ġē), from Proto-Germanic *iwwiz (“you”, dative case of *jīz), Western form of *izwiz (“you”, dative case of *jūz), from Proto-Indo-European *yūs (“you”, plural), *yū́. Cognate with Scots you (“you”), Saterland Frisian jou (“you”), West Frisian jo (“you”), Low German jo, joe and oe (“you”), Dutch jou and u (“you”), Middle High German eu, iu (“you”, object pronoun), Latin vōs (“you”), Avestan 𐬬𐬋 (vō, “you”), Ashkun yë̃́ (“you”), Kamkata-viri šó (“you”), Sanskrit यूयम् (yūyám, “you”) See usage notes. Ye, you and your are cognate with Dutch jij/je, jou, jouw; Low German ji, jo/ju, jug and German ihr, euch and euer respectively. Ye is also cognate with archaic Swedish I.

pron

1. (object pronoun) The people spoken, or written to, as an object.
   Both of you should get ready now.
2. (reflexive, now US colloquial) (To) yourselves, (to) yourself.
   ‘Pull you up a chair,’ she offered. 1970, Donald Harington, Lightning Bug
   You'd better get you a gun and kill him before he kills you or somebody. 1975, Joseph Nazel, Death for Hire
3. (object pronoun) The person spoken to or written to, as an object. (Replacing thee; originally as a mark of respect.)
   I charge you, as ye woll have my love, that ye warne your kynnesmen that ye woll beare that day the slyve of golde uppon your helmet. c. 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book VIII
4. (subject pronoun) The people spoken to or written to, as a subject. (Replacing ye.)
   You are all supposed to do as I tell you.
   Are you excited? ― Yes, I am excited! Audio (US) (file) 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
5. (subject pronoun) The person spoken to or written to, as a subject. (Originally as a mark of respect.)
6. (indefinite personal pronoun) Anyone, one; an unspecified individual or group of individuals (as subject or object).
   You can't choose your family, your lovers are difficult and volatile, but, oh, you can choose your friends - so doesn't it make much more sense to live and holiday with them instead? 5 May 2001, Polly Vernon, The Guardian

det

1. The individual or group spoken or written to.
   Have you gentlemen come to see the lady who fell backwards off a bus?
2. Used before epithets, describing the person being addressed, for emphasis.
   You idiot!
   'You genius!' I shouted in Aretta's ear. 'You absolute genius! Why didn't you tell us you were so good?' 2015, Judi Curtin, Only Eva, The O'Brien Press

verb

1. (transitive) To address (a person) using the pronoun you (in the past, especially to use you rather than thou, when you was considered more formal).
   Youing consists in relating everything in the conversation to the person you wish to flatter, and introducing the word “you” into your speech as often as possible. 1930, Barrington Hall, Modern Conversation, Brewer & Warren, page 239
   Now even Princess Anne had dropped it. Sarah had heard her youing away on television the other night just like the inhabitants of her mother’s dominions beyond the seas. 1992, Barbara Anderson, Portrait of the Artist’s Wife, Victoria University Press, page 272
   But even having my very own personal pronoun was risky, because it’s pretty tough to keep stopped-hope stopped up when you are getting all youed up, when someone you really like keeps promising you scary, fun, exciting stuff—and even tougher for the of that moment to remain securely devoid of hope, to make smart, self-denying decisions with Dad youing me—the long ooo of it broad and extended, like a hand. 2004, Ellen Miller, “Practicing”, in Brooklyn Noir, Akashic Books

Etymology 2

noun

1. The name of the Latin-script letter U.
   ‘Eff. You. En,’ said Mr Banstead. ‘Fun![…]’ 1969, Michael Feld, The Sabbatical Year, London: Alan Ross Ltd, page 301
   It said, in a whispering, buzzing voice, "Gee-you-ess-ess-ay-dash-em-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-em-eye-en-gee-oh-dash-pee-eye-pee-dash-pee-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-pee-eye-en-gee-oh." 2004, Will Rogers, The Stonking Steps, page 170
   ‘S-S-C…sitting on a tree…eff-you-cee-kay-i-en-ji.’ 2019, Anand Ranganathan, Chitra Subramaniam, The Rat Eater, Bloomsbury India