quoth
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /kwəʊθ/
ipa: /kwoʊθ/
rhymes: -əʊθ
Forms: form: quoths
form: quothing
form: quothed
form: quothed
Etymology: From Middle English quoth, quath, from Old English cwæþ (first and third person past indicative of cweþan (“to say, speak to, address, exhort, admonish”)), from Proto-Germanic *kwaþ (first and third person past indicative of Proto-Germanic *kweþaną (“to say”)). Unrelated to quote.
Senses: examples: text: But the Healing-one stood before the under-king, and the under-king arraigned him, quothing, thou art the king of the Jews? the Healing-one quoths him, thou quoths.
ref: 1807, Samuel Henshall, The Gothic Gospel of Saint Matthew, from the Codex Argenteus of the Fourth Century; with the Corresponding English, or Saxon, from the Durham Book of the Eighth Century, in Roman Characters; […], London: […] J. White, […], chapter XXVII, page 71:
text: The owner had the power of transmitting the possession to an heir by bequest, by quothing or speaking forth the name of the intended successor to the lord.
ref: 1864, Francis Palgrave, “The Conqueror, from Hastings to the Coronation. 1066.”, in The History of Normandy and of England, volumes III (Richard Sans-Peur—Richard Le-Bon—Richard III.—Robert Le-Diable—William the Conqueror), London: Macmillan & Co., page 402:
text: “Why, no,” quothed Jonathan; “for to tell thee the truth, friend, though I am a man of peace, being of that religious order known as the Society of Friends, I am not so weak in person nor so timid in disposition as to warrant me in being afraid of any one.[…]”
ref: 1908, Howard Pyle, “The Mysterious Lady With the Silver Veil”, in The Ruby of Kishmoor, New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, page 15:
text: The old cow laughs, for she feels sure of a square dear now; and the wise riven quoths; quoths he: “Tis well done, let the good work go on,”[…]
ref: 1909, Dairy Foods Review, page 13:
text: “’Ods blood!” quoths Lee, “’Tis ‘Honey Dew.’”
ref: 1916, The Pottery & Glass Salesman, page 21, column 3:
text: Gunn-ar quoths to Eve: “Hail dawn![…]”
ref: 1930, L[aurence] A[ustine] Waddell, The British Edda: The Great Epic Poem of the Ancient Britons on the Exploits of King Thor, Arthur or Adam and his Knights in Establishing Civilization Reforming Eden & Capturing the Holy Grail About 3380-3350 B.C., London: Chapman & Hall Ltd., page 93:
text: “Sooth,” quoths the Invincible Vince de la Crau, “this great Wind is within me and is clearly meant as a sign of my approaching Folly.[…]”
ref: 1962, The Paris Review, page 43:
text: ‘I really don’t know how the poor people are going to cope,’ quothed Oriel to her employer in response to his query about what she would be doing over Christmas.
ref: 1995, Sheelagh Kelly, Shoddy Prince:
text: Then, one evening I arrived home to find him sitting atop the doorway transom like Poe’s raven, quothing his usual owl equivalent of “I’m starving!” while roundabout the furniture displayed a day’s worth of fumets and splashy excrement.
ref: 1996, Donald G. Schueler, “An evening interlude”, in A Handmade Wilderness, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: a Mariner Book, Houghton Mifflin Company, page 116:
text: “Could I have some of your food? I’m so hungry I could die.” Esau quothed.
ref: 2009, Augustin D. Etienne, “In The Growth And Development Of Israel”, in God at Work: The Answer to Today’s Perplexing Questions, Xlibris, page 89:
text: When the minister should ask if Judith should be his wife, “Ay, by gogs-wouns,” quoths he, and swears so loud that, all amazed the minister lets fall the book;
ref: 2014, Anthony Labriola, Poor Love & Other Stories, Atlanta, Ga.: Anaphora Literary Press, →LCCN, page 162:
glosses: To say.
Related terms: quote
say