youthe

Forms with /ð/ continue the consonantism of the Old English oblique forms (from Old English [ɣð]), while forms in /θ/ mostly represent final devoicing of /ð/. Unlike in droghte, these two form types predominate in Middle English; the forms with /xt/ and /xθ/ (from early syncope in the Old English nominative singular ġeoguþ, then levelling of the resulting consonantism to the oblique forms) are much rarer. Shortening of the long vowel was regular in all variants of this word in Late Old English, either due to the trisyllabicity of inflected forms or because of the following consonant cluster; in forms with /ð/, /θ/, the long vowel reflects a regular change from /uɣ/ to /uː/, while in those with /xt/, /xθ/, it is due to lengthening before /x/. Some Middle English varieties apparently underwent a change of /juː/ to /jiu̯/; Modern English (and Scots) /juːθ/ can reflect either the changed or unchanged form. In Early Modern English, forms with a short vowel (/jʊθ/) are recorded; these may originate from shortening in youthhede. However, there is no evidence that such forms existed in Middle English.