Archaic past tense of 'could'; an old form meaning 'was able to' or 'knew how to.'
From Old English 'cūðe,' the past tense of 'cunnan' (to know or be able), which evolved into the modern 'could.' This form appears in Middle English texts but became obsolete.
This word shows how 'could' used to be more obviously related to 'know'—couthe meant both 'was able' and 'knew,' revealing that in medieval English, knowing something and being able to do it were closely linked concepts.
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