forsoth

Forsoth is an archaic or literary spelling of the English interjection forsooth, meaning indeed or in truth. It is primarily encountered in older texts and in works that imitate Early Modern English.

Etymology and spelling: the term derives from Old English forsoð, literally “for truth,” with the prefix for- emphasizing the sense of certainty. The form forsoth is a variant spelling that appears in some Middle English and Early Modern English manuscripts; forsooth is the more common modern counterpart.

Usage: as an interjection, forsoth serves to affirm a statement or introduce a claim, often found in dramatic dialogue, poetry, or narrative in archaic or stylized contexts. In contemporary writing it is used sparingly to evoke antiquity, or in fantasy and historical fiction to flavor dialogue with period voice.

Legacy: today the form is largely obsolete in standard English. Scholarly and dictionary entries typically classify forsoth as archaic or dialectal, with forsooth remaining the widely recognized contemporary variant. Its presence in texts signals historical language use or deliberate stylistic imitation of early modern English.