coted

"Coted" is the past tense of "cote," a largely archaic English verb meaning to pass by or around something, especially to travel along its edge or skirt it. A shepherd might once have been said to have coted a hill, taking the path that ran round its flank rather than over its summit. The word derives from Old French coter, itself formed from côte meaning "rib" or "side" — the same Latin root (costa) that gives us "coast" and "costal." In modern usage it survives mainly in historical texts, regional dialects, and specialized contexts, having been displaced in everyday speech by simpler alternatives such as "skirted," "rounded," or "passed." Encountering "coted" today usually signals either an older register of writing or a deliberately rustic voice, and readers should understand it as describing movement that goes around an obstacle rather than through or over it.

Past tense of "cote": to pass alongside or around something; to skirt or go round the edge of it.

Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.

Etymology of coted

"Cote" entered Middle English from Old French coter, a derivative of côte meaning "rib" or "side," which traces back to Latin costa, also the source of English "coast" and "costal." The original sense of moving along the side of something developed into the meaning "to pass round or skirt." The verb was in ordinary use in earlier centuries but has since become archaic and largely confined to dialect.

How coted is actually used

This is an archaic or dialectal verb form, now rarely encountered outside older literature and regional speech; modern writers would normally use "skirted" or "went around" instead.

Easily confused with coted

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Rhymes with coted