A consonant cluster used initially in words or in second elements of compounds and after initial s. It usually represents phonetic [kw] in the reflexes of OE words in cw-, cu-, qu-, ON words in kv-, L words in qu-, OF words in qu-, q-, cu-, c-, and MDu. or MLG words in qu-. It may also represent phonetic [hw], probably with strongly aspirated, or even spirant, [h], in the reflexes of OE words in hw- and ON words in hv-. It may sometimes represent a voiceless w (normally spelled wh-) or even a voiced w (normally spelled w-). The phonetic [kw] is often represented by spellings other than qu-, qw-, etc. In early ME (to c1300) cw- and cu- appear in words like qualm (cwalm, cualm) n., queme (cweme, cueme) adj., quik (cwik, cuic) adj., etc. This is a continuation of an OE spelling tradition. After 1300, such spellings are rare, but see cuithe (= quidden v.) c1390 and cwet (= quethe n.) 1445. The cw- spelling also appears in early texts for the qu- or c- of words borrowed from OF; e.g., cwitaunce for quitaunce n., cwite for quiten v. The spelling kw- appears sporadically from the 13th to the 15th centuries for the reflex of OE cw-; e.g., kwakede, p. of quaken v., kwene for quene n.(2). Very rarely, and usually in Kentish texts, ku- appears, as in kueadvol for quedfulle adj., kuemth, sg.3 of quemen v. The spelling c- may appear instead of qu-: (a) before o or u in Northern, mixed Northern, and North Midland texts, where it represents the reflex of a Northumbrian c [k], as in coth(e, cod, cuth, p. of quethen v. (cp. Nhb. coeða beside cwoeða inf., coeðas, coðas beside cuoeðas, pl., coeð beside cwoeð p.; (b) before u in cuces, early sg.gen. of quik adj. (cp. WS cucu, cuce, etc.); (c) as a reflex of OF or ML c-, qu- in carri for quarrei n., cointe for queinte adj., corester for querester n., coshin or cushin for quishen n., etc. The spelling k- may appear for qu- in the reflexes of OE cw-, OE or OF c-, ON k(v, OF, L, MDu., MLG qu-, as in koke, p. of quaken v., kise for queisi adj., kirt for querte n., kod, p. of quethen v., katirfoil for quater-foil n., kointe for queinte adj., kekes, sg.3 of queken v., kere for quer n., kirre for quirre n., kisheu for quisseu n., etc. The spellings cou- and kow- appear for qu- in coueleth, pl. of quelen v., koweinte for queinte adj. As a substitute for wh-, the spelling qu- (also qw-, quh-, etc.) represents the reflexes of OE hw-, occasionally of ON hv-. Such spellings appear in texts from several areas, rarely used exclusively, usually alternating with wh- and/or w-. They are most frequent in writers and texts known or generally thought to be from the North, esp. in Castleford, *Cath.Angl., Cursor (Vsp & Göt), Doc.Conspir.Hen.V, ?Jas.I KQ, Morte Arth.(1), NHom.(1) (Phys-E), Rolle Encom.Jesu (Hrl 1022), and sporadically in other Northern writings. They appear also in mixed texts: (NEM & N) Mirror Salv., Misyn, St.Anne(1); (EAngl. & N) NPass.in Cmb Ii.4.9; (EM other than EAngl. & N) Abbot & C., Cursor (Frf), Roy.Serm., etc.; (NWM & N) Awntyrs Arth.(Ir), Destr.Troy, Okure þrow in Med.St.17, Wars Alex.; (prob. central WM & N) LFMass Bk.(Cai), sporadic instances; (SW & N) sporadically in NPass.(Rwl). A second important concentration of qu-, etc., spellings appears in writings from East Anglia. There are numerous examples in the following writers and texts, all known to be from East Anglia or having significant connections with either Norfolk or Suffolk: Agnus Castus and Iff a man in Stockh.Med.10.90, Capgr.St.Kath., Caritate SSecr., Dux Moraud, Nrf.Gild Ret., Paston, PParv., and the short poems in Sloane 2593. Most of the Nrf. records and documents contain examples, and there are sporadic instances in literary or semi-literary texts other than those mentioned. On the basis of linguistic evidence alone, many scholars regard Gen.& Ex. as EAngl.; and, if the x- in xal, xuld is exclusively EAngl., the Ludus C. also originated in this area. Evidence from other parts of the East Midland area is spotty. There are sporadic examples of qu-, etc., for wh-, in Eglam.(Thrn), John Grimestone's poems in Brown 14th.cent., Havelok, Towneley Pl., and a few minor texts. For the Southeast Midlands, there are occasional examples in Ipswich Domesday(2), Domesday Bk.St.Paul, Acc.St.John Peterb., and Bk.Lond.E. Fairly frequent examples appear in several texts which cannot at present be localized on the basis of nonlinguistic evidence but whose language points to some part of the EM area: Craft Number., Dives & P., Donatus(1), Ipotis in Ashm.750, Pride Life, and Spaldyng Katereyn þe curteys. There are sporadic instances in some other presumably EM texts. Several works commonly ascribed to the Northwest Midlands contain numerous qu-, etc., for wh-: Gawain, Pearl, Patience, St.Erk., Amadace, Avow.Arth., SL Christ. There are at least 3 examples in Mirk's Festial, which appears to be a central WM text copied by an EM scribe. Sporadic examples appear in Bk.Courtesy and Siege Jerus., both prob. from somewhere in WM. We find no evidence in SWM; but in SW, we find quen for whan in St.Editha and qwether for whether in a letter from J. Hurlegh of Sarum in Stonor I. As a reverse spelling, wh- is used for qu-, both when the latter represents the reflexes of OE cw-, ON kv- and when it represents those of OF, L (& ML), MDu., MLG qu-, and OF, L c-; e.g., whake for quaken v., whene for quene n.(1) & whishin for quishin n., whainte for queinte adj. Such spellings appear in Northern texts: rather frequently in Acc.R.Dur., Alph.Tales, *Cath.Angl., St.Cuth., the York wills, and other documents of Northumberland, Cumberland, Durham, and Yorkshire; less frequently in MOTest., PConsc., Rolle, St.Bridget, and Thrn.Med.Bk.; sporadically in Gaytr.LFCatech. and a few other texts. A few of the mixed-Northern texts show an appreciable number of wh- spellings: (NEM & N) Misyn, St.Anne(1); (EM & N) SLeg.in Cmb Add & Min-U (see Görlach); (NWM & N) Destr.Troy, Parl.3 Ages, Wars Alex. From the Northeast Midlands, Towneley Pl. has several examples, and four other texts show sporadic instances. There are sporadic examples from the Southeast Midlands, the Northwest Midlands, and the central West Midlands.St.Editha from the Southwestern area has one example, white for quiten v.; Capgrave, MKempe, Paston, and PParv. are the only EAngl. texts containing more than sporadic examples. Among texts which are probablyfrom the East Midlands but which are difficult to localize more narrowly, Med.Bk.(1), Higd.(2), *Lanfranc CP, and *Trev.Higd.(Tbr) contain several examples each, while eleven other texts contain an instance or two. The Lansdowne MS of Chaucer CT, which appears to be a SEM text copied in NWM, contains a number of examples: whakeinge, ppl. of quaken (Cl.), whike for quik adj. (Pars.), whike-silver (Prol.), whikke for quiken v. (SN), iwhiked p.ppl. (Pars.), etc. Three other spellings may shed some light on the pronunciation of ME qu- and wh-: SWM or SW ȝw-, ȝu- for OE hw- in SLeg.(Ld) and Glo.Chron.A; hw-, hu- for OE hw- in the Kentish Ayenb. and PMor.(Dgb); and cwich for whiche in Ancr.(Corp-C). The use of qu- for w-, and w- for qu-, cannot be treated satisfactorily without reference to the interchange of wh- and w-, and is therefore postponed for treatment in W.