quoth

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.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kwəʊθ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /kwoʊθ/
• Rhymes: -əʊθ

• Audio (US):

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Verb

quoth

1. (archaic or literary, now defective) simple past of quethe; said
   • 1845 February, — Quarles [pseudonym; Edgar Allan Poe], “The Raven”, in The American Review‎, volume I, number II, New York, N.Y., London: Wiley & Putnam, […], →OCLC:

     Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore! / Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

   • a. 1897, Jean Ingelow, The Brides of Enderby:

     “Pull, if ye never pull’d before; / Good ringers, pull your best,” quoth he.

   • 1883, Howard Pyle, chapter V, in The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood […], New York, N.Y.: […] Charles Scribner’s Sons […], →OCLC:

     “Good morrow to thee, jolly fellow,” quoth Robin, “thou seemest happy this merry morn.” ¶ “Ay, that am I,” quoth the jolly Butcher, “and why should I not be so? Am I not hale in wind and limb? Have I not the bonniest lass in all Nottinghamshire? And lastly, am I not to be married to her on Thursday next in sweet Locksley Town?”

Verb

quoth (third-person singular simple present quoths, present participle quothing, simple past and past participle quothed)

1. (defective, modal, auxiliary, nonstandard, archaic) To say.
   • 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:

     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.

   • 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:

     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.

   • 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:

     “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. […]”

   • 1909, Dairy Foods Review, page 13:

     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,” […]

   • 1916, The Pottery & Glass Salesman, page 21, column 3:

     “’Ods blood!” quoths Lee, “’Tis ‘Honey Dew.’”

   • 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:

     Gunn-ar quoths to Eve: “Hail dawn! […]”

   • 1962, The Paris Review, page 43:

     “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. […]”

   • 1995, Sheelagh Kelly, Shoddy Prince:

     ‘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.

   • 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:

     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.

   • 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:

     “Could I have some of your food? I’m so hungry I could die.” Esau quothed.

   • 2014, Anthony Labriola, Poor Love & Other Stories, Atlanta, Ga.: Anaphora Literary Press, →LCCN, page 162:

     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;

Verb

quoth

1. Alternative form of quath (“spoke”, etc.)