Kvað

Kvað is a dialectal or archaic word in some Germanic languages, primarily Old Norse, meaning "what" or "whatever." It functions as an interrogative pronoun or a relative pronoun depending on the context. In Old Norse poetry, it often appears in phrases like "kvað skyldi" which translates to "what should" or "what would." The word is related to the modern English word "what" and other cognates found in various Germanic languages, such as German "was" and Dutch "wat." Its usage in modern Scandinavian languages is rare, having been largely replaced by more common forms like "hvað" in Icelandic and Faroese, or "hva" in Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish. The etymological root of "kvað" can be traced back to Proto-Germanic *hwata. Its presence highlights the historical development and diversification of vocabulary within the Germanic language family. The precise grammatical function and meaning of "kvað" can vary slightly depending on the specific text and dialect it appears in, but its core sense of inquiry or indefiniteness remains consistent.