Shakespeare words: K

kad interjection

A Welshman's way of saying 'God'—used as an exclamation or oath. Shakespeare's Welsh characters speak this way to show their accent and origin.

kam noun

A comb. Shakespeare uses it mostly in the phrase "clean cam" to mean something is completely wrong or awry—the idea being that even a comb's teeth get tangled and out of order.

That story is clean cam—none of it makes sense.

kecksy noun

A hollow-stemmed plant that grows wild in fields and ditches. Shakespeare uses it to mean something dry, brittle, and worthless.

The dried kecksy snaps under your boot.

keech noun

A lump of animal fat from a butcher's work. Shakespeare uses it as a scornful insult for someone, especially a butcher or butcher's family member, treating them as coarse and low.

A butcher's wife might be mocked as a keech—crude and common.

keel verb

To stop a pot from boiling over by stirring it, skimming off the froth, or adding something cool. A practical kitchen task that keeps things under control.

Joan tends the pot, keeling it so it won't spill across the fire.

keen adjective

Sharp and biting. Can describe a blade, a wind, or harsh words that cut.

A keen blade sliced through the rope.

keep verb

To make or carry on—to produce a sound, commotion, or activity. Also: to live or lodge in a place.

Who is that at the door that keeps all this noise?

keeper noun

Someone who cares for a sick person. In Shakespeare's time, this meant a nurse or attendant who stayed with the patient.

keisar noun

An old spelling of Kaiser—a German or Austrian emperor. Shakespeare uses it as a way to refer to any powerful foreign ruler.

ken noun

The distance you can see across, especially from a ship at sea—roughly 20 miles. If something is within your ken, you can spot it from where you stand.

The enemy camp lay within a ken of our position.

kendal green noun

A green woollen fabric made in the English town of Kendal. It was cheap and durable, popular for everyday wear and soldier's uniforms.

A soldier might wear kendal green instead of finer cloth.

kennel noun

A pack of hunting dogs, or the gutter that runs along a street where filth collects. Shakespeare uses both meanings, sometimes to insult someone by comparing them to a dog or to foul surroundings.

A pack of hounds bays in the forest; a beggar sleeps in the kennel.

kennelled verb

Shut up or confined, like a dog in a kennel. Often used to describe being locked away or trapped in a small, cramped space.

The prisoner was kennelled in a dark cell.

kerchief noun

A piece of cloth worn over the head, usually by women. In Shakespeare's time, wearing one could signal that you were ill or in distress.

She wrapped a kerchief round her head to hide her worry.

kern(e noun

An Irish foot-soldier, lightly armed with a sword, wooden shield, bow, or throwing darts. Shakespeare's English audience would have seen them as rough, quick-moving fighters.

kernel noun

A seed, especially the pit inside an apple or pomegranate. Shakespeare uses it to mean something small and worthless—a speck.

Not worth a single apple kernel.

kersey noun

A rough, sturdy cloth made from wool—the kind ordinary people wore. When used as an insult, it means plain, coarse, or common.

A character dismissing someone as 'kersey' means they look cheap or low-born.

kettle noun

A large drum beaten with sticks, used in orchestras and military bands. Shakespeare's characters would have heard these in court music and battle scenes.

The kettles beat a rhythm as the soldiers marched to war.

key noun

Control or power over something important. In music, the system of notes a piece is built around. Shakespeare uses both meanings figuratively—power as something you hold, and harmony as something you set.

Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels—you held power over my most private thoughts.

key-cold adjective

Cold like a corpse. Used to describe the chill of death, or someone who's lost all warmth and feeling.

His key-cold hand told us he'd been gone for hours.

kibe noun

A painful crack or sore on the heel, usually from cold and wet weather. Shakespeare uses it as a metaphor for something that irritates by being too close.

A commoner's complaints gall the nobleman like a kibe that won't heal.

kick(s)y-wick(s)y noun

A joking, affectionate term for a wife. The word plays on the idea of domestic back-and-forth—give and take, push and pull.

He calls his wife his kicksy-wicky, fond and teasing all at once.

kickshaws noun

A fancy, ornamental dish or tidbit—the kind of thing that looks impressive but amounts to very little. Used more broadly for any small, worthless trinket or trifle.

He spent his money on kickshaws and gewgaws instead of things that mattered.

kid-fox noun

A young fox, or a cunning young person. Shakespeare uses it as an insult—implying someone is sly and untrustworthy.

That kid-fox has tricked us all with his smooth talk.

kill verb

To destroy completely or wipe out the last of something. In Shakespeare's time, this often meant finishing off a group or eliminating what remained.

killen verb

An old spelling of the infinitive 'to kill.' You'll see this in older texts where the -en ending marks the base form of the verb.

kin adjective

Related by blood or nature; sharing a common bond. When Shakespeare says two things are kin, he means they belong to the same family or kind.

My sword and yours are kin—forged from the same steel.

kind noun

Your natural character or the way you're made. Also means a type or class of something—a category of person or thing. Shakespeare often uses it to describe what's proper or fitting for a creature's nature.

"Thy youth and kind" — your youthful nature.

kindle verb

To stir up or set burning—whether a fire, a feeling, or a desire. When you kindle something, you light it.

Her words kindled anger in his chest.

kindless adjective

Against nature. Cruel in a way that violates what you'd expect from a human being.

A kindless act — betraying your own family.

kindly adjective

Natural and fitting, the way something belongs by its own nature. In Shakespeare, often used to describe qualities that flow from what someone is—a father's kindly power is the caring strength that comes with being a father.

A kindly tear is one that falls naturally, not forced.

kindness noun

Tenderness and affection shown to someone. Shakespeare often uses it to mean the gentle, loving way you treat a person—sometimes so much that it becomes overwhelming or even harmful.

To kill a wife with kindness means to smother her with so much care and attention that it destroys her.

kindred adjective

Related by blood or family. Also used to mean similar in nature or character—things that match or belong together.

king'd verb

Made into a king, or ruled over like a kingdom. Shakespeare uses it to mean both literally crowned and figuratively dominated or controlled by something.

king's possessive pronoun (genitive form of 'king')

belonging to or associated with the king; the king's possession, domain, or attribute

This young woman had a father—oh, that he 'had'! What a sad thought!—whose skill was nearly as great as his honesty; if his talent had lasted longer, he could have made death disappear, and life would have been eternal. I wish, for the king's sake, he were still alive! I believe he could cure the king's illness.

kingdom noun

A realm under one ruler's power. In Shakespeare, it can also mean a small world or microcosm—any domain that mirrors the structure of a larger one.

The body is a kingdom, and the heart its king.

kingdom'd adjective

Complete and self-contained, as if a whole kingdom unto yourself. Used to describe someone with absolute authority or total independence.

A kingdom'd man needs no one's permission to rule his own affairs.

kirtle noun

A woman's dress or skirt, worn as an outer garment. It could be a full gown or just the skirt portion.

She hitched up her kirtle to cross the muddy street.

kiss verb

In the game of bowls, to touch or come into contact with another ball. When your bowl kisses your opponent's, you're in a strong position.

kissing-comfit noun

A small scented candy meant to freshen your breath before kissing. They were popular luxuries in Shakespeare's time.

He popped a kissing-comfit before leaning in.

kit noun

A kitten — a young cat. Shakespeare sometimes uses this as an insult, calling someone small or contemptible.

kitchen verb

To supply someone with food or a meal. In Shakespeare's time, the kitchen was where all the cooking happened, so "to kitchen" someone meant to feed them.

kite noun

A greedy, predatory person—someone who exploits or preys on others. Shakespeare uses it as an insult, often applied to women of loose morals.

She's a kite, always hunting for the next mark to fleece.

knack noun

A small trinket or decorative object of little value. Something you'd pick up because it catches your eye, not because you need it.

She kept a shelf of pretty knacks from her travels.

knap verb

To bite or snap at something, or to hit sharply. A quick, crisp action.

He knapped at the bread like a dog.

knave noun

A boy or man who works as a servant or laborer. Shakespeare uses it to address servants casually—sometimes affectionately, sometimes dismissively, but not usually as a serious insult. It marks a difference in rank or job rather than character.

A lord might call his servant "my good knave" the way we'd say "my man" or "buddy."

knavery noun

Mischievous tricks or pranks. In Shakespeare it often means clever deceptions or playful schemes — sometimes specifically the kind of costume tricks or flashy dressing used to fool or amuse someone.

The servants' knavery with disguises fooled the master for an entire evening.

knee noun

The joint in your leg that bends when you kneel or curtsey. In Shakespeare's time, dropping to your knee was a gesture of respect, submission, or pleading—so 'knee' often stands for that whole act of humble deference.

He went down on one knee to beg forgiveness.

knew verb

understood, recognized, or was acquainted with (past tense of 'know')

If you were polite and knew some manners, You wouldn't hurt me like this.

knight noun

A man of noble or gentle rank, often one who serves a lord or lady; a warrior or attendant devoted to someone's service.

Who's Thisby? A wandering knight?

knit verb

To bind or unite firmly together. Shakespeare uses it figuratively to mean joining things—or people—in a tight, secure way.

Love knits two hearts into one.

knob noun

A pimple or small swelling on the skin. Often grouped with other blemishes or pustules.

His face was covered in bubbles, welts, and knobs from the infection.

knock verb

To strike or hit something with force. In Shakespeare, it often means to start or set something in motion by striking — like knocking out a rhythm on a drum or striking up music.

Let the music knock it — start the song with a strike.

knoll verb

To ring a bell, especially a church bell. Often done slowly and solemnly, as for a funeral or to call people to a service.

The church bells knoll to call worshippers to prayer.

knot noun

A tight cluster or group of people. Also: a decorative garden bed with an intricate, ornamental design. Or: a lump or knob of material.

A knot of soldiers gathered at the gate.

knot-grass noun

A common weed with small pale-pink flowers. People in Shakespeare's time believed drinking it would stop you growing, so calling someone knot-grass was like saying they were a pint-sized nothing.

knotted adjective

Twisted or tangled into a complex pattern. Can describe something physically gnarled, like a old tree, or something ornately designed.

The knotted oak tree had stood in the forest for centuries.

knotty adjective

Twisted and full of knots. Used literally for wood or rope, but also to describe something tangled and hard to untangle—like a complicated problem.

A knotty piece of oak that's nearly impossible to carve.

knotty-pated adjective

Slow to understand; thick-headed. The image is of a head full of knots—tangled and hard to work through.

He's such a knotty-pated fool he can't follow the simplest instruction.

know verb

To be familiar with someone or have been in contact with them. Also: to be aware of something, or to find out information about it.

They have known each other since childhood.

knowing noun

Knowledge or understanding of something. In Shakespeare, it can also mean experience or what you've learned firsthand.

A night like this would erase all my previous knowings.

knowingly adverb

With direct knowledge or understanding from having lived through something. You speak from what you've actually seen or done, not from theory or hearsay.

He knowingly risked his life, for he had fought in wars before.

knowledge noun

Awareness or recognition of something. It can mean noticing something, knowing a person personally, or being conscious of who you are.

known adjective (past participle)

discovered, found out, or revealed

and our plans will be found out

knows verb

understands; is aware of; recognizes

In confusion, no longer knows which is which: