ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hath

v.
C2 Proficiency US //ˈhæθ// UK //hˈæθ// hath Archaic

v. an old-fashioned way of saying 'has'. You will mostly see this in very old books, poems, or religious texts like the Bible.

v. the archaic third-person singular present form of 'have'. Used exclusively in historical, liturgical, or literary contexts to denote possession or state.


SIMPLE

The heart hath its reasons which reason knows nothing of.

CONTEXTUAL

In the classic text, the author writes that every cloud hath a silver lining.

COMPLEX

The poet suggests that while time hath a way of stealing youth, it cannot diminish the wisdom gained through decades of lived experience.

Origin

From Middle English hath, heth, hafth, hefth, from Old English hæfþ, hafaþ (“has”), from Proto-Germanic *habaiþi (“has”), equivalent to have + -th. Cognate with Saterland Frisian häd (“has”), West Frisian hat (“has”), Dutch heeft (“has”), Afrikaans het (“has, have”), German Low German hett (“has”), German hat (“has”).

Usage

Used with third-person singular subjects (he, she, it) in archaic English; replaced by 'has' in modern English.

Pitfall

He hath a new carHe has a new car'Hath' is archaic and should not be used in modern speech or writing unless imitating historical styles.

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