Etymology Dictionary

YE,  the nom. pl. of the 2nd personal pronoun.  (E.)   The nom. pl. is properly ye, whilst the dat. and acc. pl. is you; the gen. pl. is properly your, now only used as a possessive pronoun.   But in mod. E. ye is almost disused, and you is constantly used in the nominative, not only in the plural, but in the singular, as a substitute for thou.   'Ye in me, and I in you,' John, xiv. 20; this shews the correct use.   M. E. ye, ȝe, nom.; your, ȝour, gen.; you, ȝou, yow, dat. and acc.—A. S. ge, nom.; eówer, gen.; eów, dat. and acc.; Grein, i. 263, 375. + Du. gif, ye; u, you. + Icel. ér, ier, ye; yðar, your; yðr, you. + Dan. and Swed. i. ye (also you). + G. ihr; O. H. G. ír, ye, iuwar, iuwer, your, iu, you. + Goth. jus, ye; izwara, your; izwis, you.   β. The common Teut. types are:  nom. YUS, gen. YUSWARA, dat. and acc. YUSWIS, whence the various forms can be deduced; Fick, iii. 245.   We also have the A. S. dual form git, ye two, answering to a Goth. form jut*, which does not, however, occur.   Thus the common Aryan base is YU, whence also Lithuan. jus, ye, Gk. ὑ-μεῖς, ye.   Skt. yú-yam, ye; Fick, i. 732.