quethe

quethe

English

WOTD – 12 August 2010

Etymology

From Middle English quethen, cwethen, from Old English cweþan, from Proto-Germanic *kweþaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷét- (“to say, speak”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian kweede (“to say, speak, tell”), Danish kvæde, Icelandic kveða (“to say”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kwiːð/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːð

Verb

quethe (third-person singular simple present quethes, present participle quething, simple past quethed or quoth or quod, past participle quethed or quethen)

1. (obsolete except in past tense quoth) To say or declare.
   • 1845, Edgar Allan Poe, "The Raven"

     Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

Related terms

• bequeath

Translations

to say or declare

Finnish: lausua (fi) Irish: abair (ga) Old Irish: ol, ar

Russian: мо́лвить (ru) impf (mólvitʹ), промо́лвить (ru) pf (promólvitʹ) (archaic, poetic) Spanish: declarar (es), far (es) (archaic, poetic) Welsh: medd (cy)

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Middle English

Verb

quethe

1. Alternative form of quethen