'twould

alternative ’twou’d

1. abbreviationarchaiccontractionContraction of it + would.

   ‘Mebbe you’re right, Jed. Mebbe you’re right,’ sighed Peter. ‘I don’t see how you missed your master’s license, though. ’Twould ha’ bin fitter for a master to own shares in his ship than a fust mate.’

   1930, Captain Dingle, “In Conclusion” (chapter 34), in Seaworthy, Cambridge, Mass.: The Riverside Press, page 274

   1 more example

   ‘It is well the earth gave way’, the sexton was saying, ‘on a night when we were here to find it. I was in the graveyard myself after midday, and all was snug and tight then. ’Twould have been awkward enough to have the hole stand open through the day, for any passer-by to light on.’

   [1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC

   Synonyms: it’d