oft-quoted

The compound 'oft-quoted' is a relatively modern English formation that combines an archaic adverb with a common past participle. 'Oft' is a direct descendant of the Old English 'oft', related to the German 'oft', both deriving from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "frequently." Its use here lends a slightly formal or literary tone. 'Quoted' originates from the Medieval Latin 'quotare', meaning "to mark with numbers" or later "to cite by chapter and verse," which itself derives from Latin 'quot' meaning "how many." The fusion of these elements creates an efficient adjective describing a statement or passage that is cited with notable regularity, preserving the core sense of repeated citation from its constituent parts.

Structure: oft (often) + quoted (cited) oft (Old English, meaning "often" or "frequently", an archaic or poetic adverb); quoted (from the verb 'quote', of Latin origin via Medieval Latin, meaning "to cite or repeat words").