Cuth

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Archaic term meaning known, familiar, or well understood by someone from past experience
2. An old word describing something that is recognized, known, or already familiar to those who encounter it
3. Obsolete adjective for a thing or person that is already known or acquainted to the speaker

Etymology: "Cuth" survives from Old English, where "cūþ" meant "known" or "familiar." It is the past participle of "cunnan," "to know," the same root behind the older sense of "can" (knowing how to do something) and the word "ken," as in "beyond my ken." Its main living trace is in "uncouth." Originally it meant unknown or unfamiliar, so an uncouth person was simply a stranger. "Couth" was later back-formed from it, meaning known or familiar in the older sense and, in modern use, refined. As the sense of "uncouth" moved from unfamiliar to unpolished, it came to describe rough or awkward manners.