Home › Glossary › Letter Q

quotha

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Indeed! Forsooth! An exclamation expressing surprise, skepticism, irony, or mocking disbelief at what someone has said, as in "He said that, quotha?"

Detailed Definition
“Quotha” functions as interjection of disbelief or mockery. In dramatic poetry, it punctuates revelation or absurdity. The term’s archaic flavor enhances period authenticity. Poets use it to signal ironic distance or sudden insight, where “quotha” undercuts pretension, reinforcing themes of illusion, truth, and rhetorical play in satirical and narrative contexts.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Quotha! Is that your final word?” challenges the skeptic; In Shakespeare’s Othello: “Quotha! sayest thou so?”; “Quotha! You dare accuse me?” cries the noble; “Quotha! The truth is stranger still”; “He muttered ‘quotha’ and turned away”; Quotha! The jest reveals the wound.
Additional Notes
“Quotha” expresses ironic disbelief (“quotha! say you so?”); in dramatic dialogue, it undercuts pretension, serving as a skeptical refrain that exposes hypocrisy or absurdity through feigned surprise.
Also Known As
indeed truly forsooth quoth
Skip to main content