different between quoth vs quotha

English

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 *kweþan? (“to say”)).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kw???/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /kwo??/
• Rhymes: -???

Verb

quoth

1. (archaic or literary, now defective) simple past tense of quethe; said

Verb

quoth (third-person singular simple present quoth, no present participle, simple past and past participle quoth)

1. (defective, modal, auxiliary) to say

Usage notes

Quoth is considered a defective verb because it is now the only recognizable form of the verb quethe, all other forms of which are obsolete. Quoth almost always comes before the subject, usually in the form "quoth he/she." It also often comes after the object, which is whatever is being said by the subject, written between quotation marks. It can also be inserted in the middle of an object phrase, where "quoth [subject]" is separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.

See also

• quote
• say

English

Etymology

From quoth + a (“(dialectal, obsolete) he”).

Interjection

quotha

1. (archaic) Forsooth; indeed.