hath

See also: haþ and háð

English

Etymology

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”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: hăth, IPA^(key): /hæθ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æθ

Verb

hath

1. (archaic) third-person singular simple present indicative of have

   Thirty days hath September.

   • 1611, Joseph Hall, “Epistle VIII. To E.B. Dedicated to Sir George Goring.”, in Epistles […], volume III, London: […] [William Stansby and William Jaggard] for Samuell Macham, […], →OCLC, 5th decade, pages 95–96:

     To ſet the minde on the racke of long meditation (you ſay) is a torment: to follow the ſwift foote of your hound alday long, hath no wearineſſe: what would you ſay of him that finds better game in his ſtudie, then you in the fielde, and would account your diſport his puniſhment? ſuch there are, though you doubt and wonder.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 19:26:

     ... unto every one that hath shall be given, and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away ...

   • 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “A Further Account of Glubbdubdrib. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume II, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part III (A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdribb, Luggnagg, and Japan), page 108:

     I could plainly diſcover from whence one Family derives a long Chin; why a ſecond hath abounded with Knaves for two Generations, and Fools for two more; why a third happened to be crack-brained, and a fourth to be Sharpers.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, chapter I, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume IV, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:

     To be plain, I much question whether the politician, who hath generally a good nose, hath not scented out somewhat of the utility of this practice.

Alternative forms

• hathe

Synonyms

• has

Derived terms

• hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

Related terms

• have
• hast
• has
• had

Irish

Interjection

hath!

1. Alternative form of ha (“ha!”)

Interjection

hath!

1. Alternative form of huth (“huh!”)

References

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “hath”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Middle English

Alternative forms

• haþ

Verb

hath

1. third-person singular present indicative of haven