What does quoth mean?
Quoth is an archaic English verb meaning “said” or “uttered,” most often used to introduce someone’s exact words. Its familiar form is “quoth he” or “quoth she,” in which the unusual past-tense form creates a formal, theatrical, or humorous effect. The word can make a speaker sound like a character from an old play, a historical narrative, or a deliberately antiquarian text. Although related to the modern verb “quote,” quoth is not normally used as a general synonym for reporting speech in contemporary English. It survives best in comic dialogue, stylized prose, quotations, and phrases adopted to imitate Shakespearean or archaic language. Its pronunciation is generally /kwoʊθ/, with the final sound like the “th” in “both.”
verbQuoth is an archaic form of the verb “quote,” used to introduce the words spoken by someone, especially in the construction “quoth he” or “quoth she.” It is generally used in a humorous, theatrical, or deliberately old-fashioned manner.
- Used archaically to mean “said” or “uttered,” typically when introducing a quotation.
"“I have seen better days,” quoth the old sailor."
"“That is easier said than done,” quoth the manager."
"The narrator dryly observed that, “No news is good news,” quoth the newspaper."
Quoth he: one of the quickest ways to make an ordinary sentence sound like a character from a Shakespearean play.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does quoth come from?
Quoth derives from Old English cwæþ, the past singular form of cweþan, meaning “to say” or “to speak.” The form is related to the modern verb “quote,” which comes through Old French from Latin quotare, “to say how many,” and ultimately from Latin quota, meaning “how many.” The modern spelling and use of quoth also reflect the influence of literary and Shakespearean English, where it became a familiar marker of quoted speech.
How quoth is actually used
This is a literary or deliberately archaic form rather than ordinary modern English. It is most natural before a subject such as “he,” “she,” or a named person, and it often signals humor, theatricality, or an imitation of older narrative prose.