hath
Definition
- Verb (archaic):
- Third person singular present indicative of "have": "hath" is an archaic form of "has," used primarily in Early Modern English (e.g., in the King James Bible and Shakespeare). It denotes possession, obligation, or experience in the present tense for he, she, or it.
Usage Examples
Archaic possessive:
- He hath a great fortune. (He has a large amount of wealth.)
- She hath no equal in skill. (She has no one who is as skilled as she is.)
Archaic experiential:
- The king hath spoken. (The king has spoken; the action is completed in the present.)
- It hath been done. (It has been done; the action is finished.)
Advanced Usage
In religious or poetic contexts: "hath" is often used to create a solemn or elevated tone.
- The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken away. (A biblical phrasing meaning God has provided and also removed.)
- Time hath no power over love. (A poetic statement meaning love is unaffected by time.)
In fixed phrases: Survives in some set expressions.
- He hath not a penny to his name. (He has no money at all; an archaic way of saying someone is poor.)
Variants and Related Words
Have (v): the modern standard form, with "has" as the third person singular present.
- He has a book. (Modern equivalent of "He hath a book.")
Hast (v): the archaic second person singular present indicative of "have" (used with "thou").
- Thou hast my gratitude. (You have my thanks.)
Synonyms
Has: the direct modern equivalent.
- She has a cat. (She possesses a cat.)
Possesses: a more formal synonym for ownership.
- He possesses great wisdom. (He has great wisdom.)
Related Idioms (Archaic)
To have and to hold: a phrase from marriage vows, meaning to possess and keep.
- I take thee to have and to hold from this day forward. (I accept you to possess and keep forever.)
Hath the last word: to have the final say in an argument.
- He always hath the last word in debates. (He always finishes the discussion with his opinion.)
Notes on Usage
- Register: "hath" is obsolete in modern everyday English. It is only used in historical fiction, religious texts, or deliberate archaism.
- Grammar: It functions exactly like "has" in terms of sentence structure, but it is not used with the auxiliary "do" for questions or negatives in the same way (e.g., "Hath he come?" instead of "Has he come?").