woþ

See also: wop, woy, and woth

Middle English

Noun

woþ

1. Alternative form of wothe

Adjective

woþ

1. Alternative form of wothe

Old English

Alternative forms

• woð

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *wōþō (compare wōd), from Proto-Indo-European *wéh₂t-eh₂, from *weh₂t- (“possessed, excited”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /woːθ/

Noun

wōþ f

1. sound; noise; cry
2. speech; articulation; eloquence
3. song; poetry
4. voice
   • 10th century, Exeter Book Riddle 8‎^[1]:

     Saga hwæt iċ hātte, þe swā scireniġe scēawendwīsan hlūde onhyrġe, hæleþum bodie wilcumena fela wōþe mīnre.

     Say what I am called, who as actress loudly imitate a jester song, proclaim many welcome guests as heroes with my voice.

Declension

Strong ō-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	wōþ	wōþa, wōþe
accusative	wōþe	wōþa, wōþe
genitive	wōþe	wōþa
dative	wōþe	wōþum

Related terms

• hēafodwōþ

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “wōþ”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[2], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.