quoth

[ kwohth ]

/ kwoʊθ /

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verb Archaic.

said (used with nouns, and with first- and third-person pronouns, and always placed before the subject): Quoth the raven, “Nevermore.”

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also quo

[kwoh] /kwoʊ/ .

Origin of quoth

First recorded in 1150–1200; preterit of quethe (otherwise obsolete), Middle English quethen, Old English cwethan “to say.” Cf. bequeath

Words nearby quoth

quote, quoted company, quote-driven, quote-unquote, quoteworthy, quoth, quotha, quotid., quotidian, quotient, quotient group

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use quoth in a sentence

She laid the still white form beside those that had gone before, quoth Bobby, in sepulchral tone.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison
"Eric has a mind to pay them for nigh spoiling a wedding voyage," quoth our Norseman.
A Prince of Cornwall|Charles W. Whistler
Quoth the King, What is that which ye demand that shall bring about good peace betwixt us?
The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald The Tyrant (Harald Haardraade)|Snorri Sturluson
"I owe you no grudge, gentle Franks," quoth the dwarf, as they pushed back the door of a cell that was all dust and murk.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis

I desire, quoth he, that the lords of the land choose him for King whom they deem best fitted therefor.
The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald The Tyrant (Harald Haardraade)|Snorri Sturluson

British Dictionary definitions for quoth

quoth

/ (kwəʊθ) /

verb

archaic (used with all pronouns except thou and you, and with nouns) another word for said 1 (def. 2)

Word Origin for quoth

Old English cwæth, third person singular of cwethan to say; related to Old Frisian quetha to say, Old Saxon, Old High German quethan; see bequeath

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012