runneth

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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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

Archaic third-person singular present form of "run" (runs), famously featured in Psalm 23 ("my cup runneth over") to denote overflowing abundance.

Detailed Definition
This is the King James Bible’s older verb ending, common in early modern English and biblical style. It does not change the meaning much, but it signals the poem’s archaic register and scriptural diction.
Example
Example in poetry:
“My cup runneth over,” from Psalm 23, uses the archaic third-person ending -eth; runneth means runs or overflows; biblical diction gives the image solemn abundance; “mercy runneth through the house” deliberately adopts this elevated historical register
Additional Notes
“runneth” is an archaic verb form that appears in the quoted line and may be unfamiliar in modern English.; Found in the poem, Psalm 23 by King James Bible
Also Known As
flows courses streams glides
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