The word "haddest care" is an archaic verb phrase that means "you had the greatest concern". It is spelled using Middle English conventions, which can be confusing for modern readers. In IPA phonetic transcription, "haddest care" would be pronounced "hædəst kɛər", with the "t" in "haddest" being pronounced as a glottal stop. This type of spelling reflects the evolution of the English language over time, and can be seen as a reminder of the long history of this complex and fascinating language.
The phrase haddest care is a combination of two words: haddest and care.
Haddest is the second-person singular past tense of the verb have in Middle English. In this context, it means you have.
Care comes from the Old English word cara, which means sorrow or anxiety. Over time, it evolved to mean concern or worry.
Therefore, haddest care can be interpreted as you had concern or you had worry.