The phrase "hath care" is an archaic form of "has care", meaning to take caution or be cautious. The word "hath" is the third person singular present tense form of the verb "have", which was commonly used in Early Modern English. The transcription of "hath care" in the International Phonetic Alphabet is /hæθ keər/ with stress on the first syllable of "hath" and the second syllable of "care". This uncommon spelling highlights the evolution and changes in the English language over time.
The phrase "hath care" does not have a specific etymology on its own, as it is a combination of two separate words: "hath" and "care".
"Hath" is the archaic third-person singular form of the verb "to have" in Middle English. It was commonly used from the 13th to the 17th century before being replaced by "has" in modern English.
"Care" is a word of Germanic origin, derived from the Old English word "caru" and related to similar words in other Germanic languages. The word originally meant "a burdened or troubled state of mind" and has evolved to mean concern, worry, or attention.
Therefore, "hath care" is most likely a combination of the archaic verb "hath" (meaning "has") and the noun "care" (meaning concern or worry), conveying the idea of having concern or taking heed.