999 words starting with S.
A sharp cry used to spur someone on or mark a sudden movement. Shakespeare's contemporaries used it to signal quick action—often accompanying a character rushing offstage or into battle.
Black, or dark as black. Shakespeare uses it for the color itself or to describe something colored that way—cloth, skin, night, shadow.
A cloak of sable velvet, dark as a moonless night.
Expensive fur from a small weasel-like animal, prized for fancy clothes and robes. In Shakespeare's time, wearing sables was a sign of wealth and status.
A nobleman's cloak trimmed with sables announced his fortune as loudly as his words.
A sweet white wine that was popular in Shakespeare's time, imported mainly from Spain. Characters drink it, heat it, and joke about its effects.
I'll go heat some sack by the fire.
A brass instrument like a trombone, with a sliding tube you move to change the pitch. It had a deep, bass sound and was popular in Renaissance orchestras.
The sackbut's low notes rumbled beneath the trumpets.
A famous performing bear kept in an Elizabethan animal yard on the south bank of the Thames. Audiences went to watch bears like Sackerson in pits where they fought dogs or were baited for entertainment.
A sacred oath or binding promise. In Shakespeare's time, swearing by the sacrament (the Eucharist) was one of the most solemn vows a person could make—breaking it meant spiritual damnation.
We'll take the sacrament to seal our peace.
Set apart by religious ritual or divine law, worthy of respect and protection. Often used as a title of honor for royalty or the divine.
The king's sacred word was law throughout the land.
Offered up to a god or gods as an act of worship or devotion. Something given to show reverence or to appease the divine.
Used to describe something that involves giving something up or laying it down as an offering. In Shakespeare, it often points to a solemn or ritual act of surrender—whether to the gods, to duty, or to fate.
A sacrificing heart knows it may lose everything.
A bell the priest rings during the most sacred moment of the church service—when the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. The sound tells the congregation to pay attention.
The sacring bell's sharp ring echoed through the chapel at the consecration.
Serious and grave. In Shakespeare, "sad" usually means solemn or thoughtful rather than unhappy. A sad face was a dignified, composed one—the kind you'd wear at a funeral or when discussing something weighty.
The priests wore sad expressions as they entered the temple.
Looking serious or stern. A person with a sad-eyed look appears grave and thoughtful, not cheerful.
In a serious or grave manner. When someone speaks sadly in Shakespeare, they're being earnest and thoughtful, not necessarily sorrowful.
Tell me sadly who is guilty here.
Seriousness or gravity. Often appears in the phrase "in good sadness" — meaning honestly, without joking around.
In good sadness, I tell you true.
Sound in mind or judgment; sane and rational. Also: trustworthy, reliable—someone or something you can depend on.
A safe conscience guides the wisest choices.
Able to guide or escort someone safely from one place to another. In Shakespeare's time, a safe-conducting official or letter promised protection during travel.
A safe-conducting pass through enemy territory.
Protection or safety. When someone acts "in safeguard of" something, they're defending it. A safeguard can also be a guarantee that you won't be harmed—a promise of safe passage.
The guards stood in safeguard of the prince during his journey through enemy lands.
In a secure place where nothing can be lost or harmed. Your valuables are kept safely when they're locked away and guarded.
A safeguard or protection. In Shakespeare's time, it could also mean the state of being safely guarded or kept secure.
A spice made from a crocus flower, prized for its golden-orange color and used to dye or flavor food. In Shakespeare's time, it was expensive and fashionable, so wearing yellow (the color saffron produces) became trendy among people trying to look rich.
To droop or sink downward. Often describes something losing its firmness or strength—a rope hanging loose, courage failing, the body growing weary.
His shoulders began to sag under the weight of bad news.
A centaur—half-man, half-horse—from medieval stories about the Trojan War. Shakespeare uses it as the name of an inn in Ephesus.
Meet me at the Sagittary when the bells strike nine.
A ship or fleet of ships. The word refers to the vessel itself—as if the sail were the thing you see from a distance, so the sail *is* the ship. Can mean a single vessel or, when plural, many ships together.
A whole fleet of enemy ships blocked the harbor.
An old past tense of "say," used mostly by poets who needed it for a rhyme. You won't see it in modern English.
A holy person formally recognized by the Christian Church as exceptionally virtuous or martyred; also used to mark feast days or sacred journeys.
Good morning, friends. Saint Valentine's Day has passed: Are these creatures just now starting to pair up?
Holy, sacred, or fit for heaven. Something sainted is set apart as pure and godlike, far above the ordinary world.
He spoke of her sainted virtue as though she had already left earth for paradise.
Purpose or reason. In Shakespeare's time, prisoners at Ludgate jail would cry 'for the Lord's sake' at the window to beg for money or food. The phrase stuck as a way to invoke pity or appeal to someone's charity.
The time in your life when you're young and haven't learned much yet—carefree and naive. Your salad days are when you make mistakes because you don't know better.
In my salad days, I believed everything I heard.
A person with a very red or flushed face. The word comes from an old belief that salamanders could live in fire—so a fiery red face got the name.
Payment for work or service. In Shakespeare's time, often money given to a soldier or official for their duties.
The general promised his troops a generous salary once the campaign ended.
Something offered for sale or money-making. In Shakespeare, often paired with other words to describe what exists for a commercial purpose—a creature of sale means someone who will do anything for payment.
A creature of sale would betray their own mother for coin.
Work made quickly for profit rather than care—cheap, mass-produced, not carefully crafted. The kind of thing made to sell, not to last.
The ordinary of nature's sale-work—common people, hastily made by nature.
Relating to an old law of France that kept women from inheriting the throne. The French claimed this 'Salique law' was their fundamental rule, though others disputed whether it really meant what they said it meant.
The English kings used Salique law to argue they had a better claim to France than the French queens did.
A light, round metal helmet worn in medieval armor. Also an Elizabethan spelling of 'salad'—a mixture of herbs or greens.
Tears, named for their bitter, salty taste. A person described as 'a man of salt' is someone who weeps easily or grieves deeply.
A salty, runny discharge from the nose — a cold or stuffy head that's annoying and raw. Salt rheum shows up in the text as a physical irritation that bothers the person who has it.
Coarse or crude. Shakespeare uses it to describe someone's manner or speech as rough and unrefined.
Of or relating to the ocean. Used to describe something connected to salt water or the sea.
A comic mistake for 'satyr'—a mythical creature that's half human, half goat. A character in the play gets the word wrong and says this instead.
Sharpness or bitterness of speech or manner. A harsh, cutting quality in words or behavior.
The saltness of her reply stung him more than a blow.
A greeting or gesture of respect. In Shakespeare, often a formal one—a bow, a curtsy, a few chosen words that show deference.
He offered his salutation to the queen with a deep bow.
To touch or come into contact with something. Can also mean to affect or influence someone—to stir a feeling or reaction in them.
If this salute my blood a jot — if this touches my heart even slightly.
A small piece or amount of something meant to show what the whole thing is like. A taste or trial of something before you commit to it.
He offered a sample of the wine before they bought the barrel.
A phrase meaning sacred majesty—the idea of a ruler's power as something holy and untouchable. Shakespeare's audiences would have heard it in Italian contexts, where it carried the weight of both divine right and political authority.
Made holy through religious ritual or blessing. Also used to describe someone who acts pious or righteous, especially when it feels false or self-serving.
A sanctified nun, or someone just pretending to be holy.
To make holy or blessed, either by a formal religious act or by treating something with deep respect and reverence. Shakespeare uses it to mean giving something sacred power or divine approval.
Drops of balm to sanctify thy head — blessing it as if anointing a king.
Sacred or holy. Something set apart as spiritually significant or devoted to religious purposes.
The sanctimonious ground of the temple could not be disturbed.
Sacred or holy quality. Shakespeare sometimes uses it to mean solemn promises or vows treated as sacred things.
If vows are sanctimonies, then breaking them is a sin.
To give someone shelter or protection, especially from harm or persecution. A sanctuary is a safe place where someone can't be touched or harmed.
A sacred place — like a church or temple — where someone can't be arrested or harmed. Breaking sanctuary means violating that protection by dragging someone out by force.
A fugitive hiding in the church has taken sanctuary; to arrest him there would break it.
Shoes, especially light sandals. An old-fashioned or poetic way to say it—you'd hear this in folk songs and ballads.
He wandered barefoot, having lost his sandal shoon by the riverside.
Partially blind, or with vision so poor you can barely see. Shakespeare uses it for someone caught between sight and blindness.
A sandblind man stumbling through a dark room—seeing shapes but no detail.
The colour of sand — a pale, warm beige or light brown. You might see this describing hair, cloth, or soil.
Her sanded hair caught the light like wheat in late afternoon.
Made of sand, or containing sand. Shakespeare uses it to describe an hourglass—the device with sand inside that measures time as it falls.
The sandy hour-glass marks the passage of moments.
Red or flushed in the face. In Shakespeare's time, people believed your temperament and health showed in your complexion—a ruddy face meant you were confident, strong, and in good spirits.
A sanguine cheek tells you the man has life and vigor.
Blood. Shakespeare uses this Latin word in serious or formal moments—medical contexts, oaths, violence, or when talking about kinship and inheritance.
A wound that bleeds sanguis cries out for vengeance.
Without. It means lacking something completely. You'll hear it in lists of what someone is missing.
Sans money, sans friends, sans hope — he had nothing left.
The vital fluid in plants—or used more broadly, the life force or living energy in anything. When Shakespeare says there's 'sap in' something, he means it has vitality or real promise.
A young idea has sap in it; an old one is just dried wood.
A skin disease that spreads across the body in patches. Shakespeare's doctors would have called it by this name, though the exact condition is unclear to modern medicine.
A fine, soft silk fabric. Shakespeare uses it figuratively to mean something delicate or flimsy—like when someone gives promises that are as insubstantial as silk.
A form of writing or performance that mocks human folly, vice, or pretension for comic or moral effect. The writer or performer who does this is called a satirist.
A Latin saying meaning that having enough is just as good as having a lot. You don't need excess to be satisfied.
Acceptance of something unwelcome or painful as true and unchangeable. A grim settling into reality.
He took the news in heavy satisfaction, knowing no argument would change the king's mind.
In Shakespeare's time, Saturn was the farthest planet anyone could see, and people believed it made you gloomy, slow, and cold by nature. The planet took its name from an old Roman god thought to carry the same heavy, dark qualities.
A Saturn mood—the kind where everything feels weighted down and nothing moves fast.
To punish or get revenge on someone; to make them suffer for what they've done. Often used as a threat.
I'll sauce them for their treachery.
A shallow dish used in bloodletting—the medical practice of opening a vein to treat illness. Doctors would collect the blood in these dishes.
A doctor might catch blood in a saucer during a bloodletting procedure.
Bold and disrespectful in a way that's meant to sting. Shakespeare often uses it for behavior that crosses a line—insolence with a sharp edge. Can also mean playfully bold or daring, especially of a ship venturing into risky waters.
A saucy servant who talks back to the master.
Wild and untamed, without restraint or control. Used of animals, behavior, or forces of nature that act with raw force.
The savage storm tore through the forest like an unbroken horse.
Wild, untamed plants and undergrowth. In Shakespeare's time, land left to grow thick and tangled without human care.
The prince fled into the savagery of the forest, where no paths were cut.
To spare someone's life or keep them alive. Also used as a short prayer: 'God save you' (often just 'Save thee'). Can also mean to prevent or head off something before it happens.
As a noun: a smell or scent. As a verb: to smell of something, or to have the quality or character of something. Can also mean to take pleasure in or care about something.
The very doors and windows savour vilely — they reek.
Past participle of 'see' — you might see this spelled as 'sawn' in older texts, though 'seen' is the standard form we use now.
A taste or sample of something—a hint of flavor or quality. Shakespeare uses it to mean a trace or proof of something, like when someone's speech reveals their breeding or education.
His tongue carried some say of noble birth.
Speaks, declares, or asserts; states as fact or opinion.
And reason declares you are the worthier woman.
A contemptible or worthless person. Shakespeare uses it as an insult, often linked to the disease scurvy—which made sailors' skin crusted and diseased—to suggest someone is base and corrupted.
You scab of a man, unfit for honest company.
A temporary framework or structure built to support something—often used literally for the wooden platforms workers stand on during construction, but also used figuratively for any prop or temporary support.
The theater company built scaffolage to reach the ceiling during set painting.
A raised platform where actors perform. In Shakespeare's time, it's the stage itself—often a simple wooden structure that stood in the middle of the playing space.
The players mounted the scaffold to begin their play.
To become intensely hot, especially from the sun or fire. Shakespeare uses it to describe heat that builds up dangerously—like metal armor that grows so hot in daylight it burns the person wearing it.
Burning hot. The kind of heat that feels like it will scorch or injure you.
The soup was scalding when it came from the kitchen.
As a noun: a balance or weighing device, often used figuratively for judgment or comparison. As a verb: to weigh something, or to climb up.
The king's justice hung in the scales—both mercy and law weighed equally.
To scatter or disperse, the way fish scales scatter when disturbed. The word is uncertain in Shakespeare's text—editors debate whether he wrote "scaling" or "scaled."
A skin disease, usually a crusty or scabby infection. In Shakespeare's time, scall was often used as an insult—calling someone scabby, basically.
A beggar with scall on his hands.
The top of your head, or the skull itself. Shakespeare uses it to mean the crown or highest point of the head.
To scramble or grab awkwardly and greedily for something. It's undignified, messy fighting over what you want.
The servants scamble over the fallen food like dogs.
Grasping and quarrelsome. Someone who scrambles greedily for what they want and argues over it.
A scambling merchant haggling over every coin.
A word Shakespeare used that scholars still can't pin down with certainty. It might refer to sea-gulls or a type of seabird, but the exact creature remains a puzzle.
To look at something closely and figure out what it means or how to respond to it. In Shakespeare's time, it often meant to judge or think through a situation before acting.
Some things must be done before you stop to think them through.
A false or damaging accusation that destroys someone's reputation. Shakespeare uses it for the shame that comes when you're publicly accused of wrongdoing, whether the charge is fair or not.
Spreading scandal about a rival was a common weapon in court politics.
To damage someone's reputation or bring shame on them. A scandalized person has lost respect in the eyes of others.
The king was scandalized by rumors of his cowardice.
As an adjective or adverb: barely enough, sparse, or meager. As a verb: to give someone less than they need or deserve, or to hold back from giving fully. Often means treating someone or something with neglect.
Don't be so scant with your attention—he needs to know you care.
A chunk or slice of something. The word appears rarely in Shakespeare and may be a variant spelling or error in the text.
A small piece or sample of something—enough to show what the whole thing is like. A fragment that represents the larger whole.
A scantling of his wit was enough to prove he'd make a fine counselor.
In a stingy or unwilling way. With reluctance, as if you're forced to give up something you'd rather keep.
He scantly praised the actor, offering only the smallest compliment.
An escape or a narrow brush with danger. Also used for a wrongdoing, especially a sexual transgression.
He smiled at the narrow scapes he'd survived at sea.
A severe shortage or lack of something you need. When someone is in scarcity of friends, they're desperately short on companionship.
He was in scarcity of friends after leaving the city.
A wide sash worn by a military officer, or a cloth sling used to support an injured arm or limb. Ships were also decorated with colorful scarves or streamers.
Decorated with long strips of fabric or streamers. A ship or banner dressed up for a feast or celebration.
The scarfed ship sailed into harbor, ribbons flying from every mast.
A bright red fabric or dye, associated with cardinals and high office. Shakespeare often used it symbolically for sin or shamelessness — the color of brazen wrongdoing.
Rare or hard to find. The word appears in Shakespeare's text, but scholars still aren't sure what he meant by it.
Harm or injury. You'll see it mostly in the phrase "do scathe" — to cause damage or hurt.
The storm did great scathe to the village.
Causing harm or injury. Something that damages or hurts.
A scatheful blow from an enemy's sword.
Distracted or disorganized in mind. Your thoughts are all over the place, not focused on one thing.
A scatter'd mind can't finish what it starts.
A dramatic performance or play—what you watch unfold on stage. In Shakespeare's time, this word could mean the whole production or the individual moment of action.
A piece of paper with writing on it—often a note, letter, or official document attached to something else. In Shakespeare's time, it could be a separate slip added to a will or legal text.
A student or pupil—someone being taught by a master or tutor. In Shakespeare's time, a scholar was under the direct care and instruction of an established teacher.
If your teacher dies, you lose your guide.
In the manner or style of someone devoted to learning and books. The way a serious student or academic would approach something.
A place where people study and learn, or a university. Shakespeare also uses it to mean a group or crowd of people, like a school of fish.
"Now set thy long-experienc'd wit to school" — put your knowledge to the test.
A man hired to teach children privately, usually in a household. Shakespeare uses it this way, not yet in the modern sense of a teacher at a school building.
Knowledge or learning of any kind. In Shakespeare's time, this word was broader than our modern "science" — it meant any systematic understanding or skill.
He speaks with such science about the stars.
A young shoot or branch of a plant. Shakespeare uses it as a metaphor for a child or offspring, or for something newly grown that might be grafted onto something else—a new quality or trait introduced into a family line.
We graft a gentler scion onto the wildest stock—breeding refinement into a rough family.
A joker or fool, named after John Scoggin, a famous court jester in medieval England. The name became slang for anyone who plays the buffoon.
To quarrel loudly and angrily, often with someone in particular. A scold is a person who does this habitually—especially a woman who speaks her mind sharply.
She scolded him for forgetting their promise.
Harsh, critical, full of reproach. A scolding person (or tone) rebukes you sharply for doing something wrong.
His scolding wife would not let him forget his broken promise.
The head, or skull — used in a joking or insulting way. Also, a small fort or defensive structure, or figuratively, any kind of protection or defence.
A knock on the sconce will rattle your wits.
Freedom to act or develop without restraint. Also: the aim or purpose you're working toward.
His coming hither hath no further scope—meaning, he has no room to go beyond what he came for.
To cut or slash something with a blade, wounding it without destroying it completely. A wound that hurts but doesn't kill.
We've wounded the snake, not finished it off.
A mark or notch kept in a tally to track money owed or owing. If you're "on the score," you're in debt.
I owe him nothing — we're even on the score.
Mockery, contempt, or an insulting remark meant to humiliate. Also, a person or thing held in such contempt that they become a target of ridicule.
He endured the scorn of the court, but kept his dignity.
Full of contempt or mockery. Someone who is scornful looks down on others and makes their disdain obvious.
A scornful glance across the room said what words couldn't.
A share of a bill or cost—used in the phrase "scot and lot" to mean paying your full due, or settling accounts completely. Shakespeare uses it to suggest someone has gotten what they deserve.
To cut or gash. Shakespeare uses it for slashing wounds, often deep enough to leave visible marks.
He scotched him and notched him like meat being prepared.
To clean something by rubbing hard, or to wash away. Sometimes used to mean punish or strike.
The rain will scour the dirt from the stone.
Moving fast, usually in a rush. Often suggests moving with urgency or force, as though driven.
The messenger came scouring down the road with news of the battle.
To watch or keep guard over something. Also, to mock or jeer at someone.
He scouts the horizon for the enemy's approach.
To scratch or rub away writing or a surface with something sharp. Shakespeare uses it both literally—scraping words off a tablet—and figuratively, to mean erasing or removing something.
Like scraping a commandment off a stone tablet.
Stingy or tight with money. Someone scraping is squeezing every penny, reluctant to spend.
A scraping miser counts his coins by candlelight.
A person who writes things down — usually for someone else, or in an official capacity. In Shakespeare's time, scribes were essential: they copied documents, recorded legal proceedings, and did the writing for people who couldn't write themselves.
The court scribe recorded every word spoken during the trial.
A person who fences—someone trained in swordplay and combat with a blade. In Shakespeare's time, fencing was both an art form and a practical skill.
A piece of paper with writing on it. Often used to mean a document, note, or written instruction.
He followed the actor's words exactly, according to the scrip.
The stuff carried in a shepherd's pouch—food, tools, whatever fits. Shakespeare seems to have invented this word as a companion to scrip (the pouch itself), like saying "bag and baggage" to mean everything you own.
Sacred writings, especially the Bible. In Shakespeare's time, this almost always meant the Christian holy texts.
He quoted scripture to prove his point about mercy.
An old spelling of screech-owl, a small owl with a sharp, eerie call. Shakespeare and his contemporaries used both 'scritch' and 'screech' for the same bird.
A professional writer who copies documents or draws up contracts and legal papers. In Shakespeare's time, scriveners were essential—most people couldn't write, so you'd hire one to make your will official or record a business deal.
A scrivener would charge you to write out your deed or testament in proper legal form.
To write or scribble something down. The word plays on both 'scrawl' (rough handwriting) and 'scroll' (a rolled document), suggesting hasty or messy writing.
A worthless person; a scoundrel. Someone contemptible and low.
The rabble scroyles of the town mock and jeer at you.
Shriveled or dwarfed in growth. Small and undersized, as if starved or poorly formed.
A scrubbed tree growing through a crack in stone.
To hesitate or hold back from doing something, usually because of doubt or reluctance. To question whether something is true or right.
He made scruple of accepting the stolen goods.
Careful and uncertain, holding back because you worry about doing the wrong thing. Someone scrupulous thinks twice before acting.
A scrupulous general hesitates to send troops into battle without full knowledge of the enemy's strength.
A school or place of learning. In Shakespeare's time, this could mean either a formal school or a group of people gathered for instruction or discussion.
A kitchen servant with the dirtiest, most thankless work—scrubbing pots, cleaning floors, hauling water. The lowest rank of household staff.
He called me a scullion, as if I were fit only for the kitchens.
Short for 'excuse.' To ask forgiveness for something, or to dismiss someone from a duty or obligation.
Scuse me, I didn't mean to interrupt.
A short tail, especially the white underside of a deer's tail. You'd see it flash as the deer bolts away.
To cut down or destroy in large numbers, often suddenly and decisively. Used for both literal mowing and metaphorical devastation.
The plague scythes through the city, leaving whole streets empty.
Isolation or separation from others. A forced removal from normal life or freedom.
He was held in sequester, cut off from the world.
The ocean, or water in general. Shakespeare uses it to mean both the vast sea itself and specific bodies of water. It can also stand for water as one of the four elements of nature.
The shore where the sea meets the land. In Shakespeare's time, this is where waves break and ships arrive.
The storm drove the ship onto the sea-bank, where it broke apart on the rocks.
A young sailor or cabin boy who works on a ship. The term often carries a note of roughness—these boys were often soaked, weather-beaten, and exposed to harsh conditions at sea.
A sea-boy might scramble up the rigging or swab the deck before his voice had fully changed.
A hat worn by sailors. Practical, sturdy, and shaped to shed water and sun.
Coal dug from the ground, not charcoal made by burning wood. The term comes from coal transported by sea to London and other ports.
The blacksmith's forge burned sea-coal instead of the softer charcoal.
Ready for the sea; built or equipped like a proper ship. Used to describe a vessel that looks powerful and seaworthy.
A fleet of ships looking sea-like and ready to sail.
A mermaid—a mythical creature with a woman's upper body and a fish's tail. Shakespeare's audiences loved these beings as symbols of danger, beauty, and the mystery of the ocean.
The sailors swore they heard a sea-maid singing from the rocks.
A seagull or sea-mew—a bird that lives by the ocean. The word appears in early texts with various spellings.
Open water where a ship has space to manoeuvre freely, far from land or obstacles. Room to move without running aground.
The captain needed sea-room to escape the rocks.
Tired of being at sea; fed up with seafaring or long voyages. The sense is weariness, not nausea—more emotional than physical.
A sailor who's been away for years might feel sea-sick of the constant rocking and endless horizon.
A mark or token that confirms something is real, true, or binding. In Shakespeare's time, a seal was often a personal stamp pressed into wax on a document—proof that you had authorized it. It can also mean any sign or proof of something.
My kisses are the seals of my love—the proof that my words are genuine.
Quart containers that have been officially stamped or marked to prove they hold the correct amount. The seal was a guarantee against cheating customers with short measures.
A tavern keeper who sold drinks in sealed quarts couldn't cheat you on the size.
The day a contract or agreement becomes official and binding. Once both parties put their seal on the document, the deal is done.
They set the sealing-day for the marriage contract in spring.
Fat or grease, especially the kind that oozes from meat. Shakespeare uses it to describe something rank or disgusting.
His arrogance is fattened by his own filthy greed.
Sordid, ugly, or morally shabby. The seamy side of something is the worst part—the underside you'd rather not look at.
To dry up or wither something, or to burn and scorch it. Can also mean to damage a reputation or character permanently, as if by fire.
Harsh words can sear a good name as surely as flame chars wood.
To look for someone or something, or to examine something closely—often by probing or investigating. Can mean to penetrate or reach into something deeply, whether literal or figurative.
He hath been search'd among the dead and living.
An official appointed to examine dead bodies and determine the cause of death. In Shakespeare's time, searchers were usually older women tasked with this grim duty in parishes.
The searchers reported the plague had claimed another victim.
Sharp and biting—either in words that wound, or in tastes and sensations that stir you up. A searching remark cuts deep; searching wine makes your blood race.
Dried up, withered, or burnt away. Used for something that's lost its freshness, vigor, or hope—whether physically or emotionally.
A seared old hand, cracked and lifeless.
A time of year, or the right moment for something. Also: a period of bad weather, or something that preserves or adds flavor—literally salt, or figuratively charm and liveliness.
The hunting season brings fresh venison to the table.
Mature and experienced, or made pleasant and ready. In Shakespeare, often means someone who has been hardened and refined by time and use—like wood that's dried, or a soldier who's seen action.
A seasoned warrior knows how to hold the line when younger soldiers panic.
A place or location, often one of importance or beauty. In the history plays, it often means a throne or the symbol of royal power.
This castle hath a pleasant seat — meaning the castle sits in a lovely spot.
Firmly fixed or established in place. In the history plays, it often means sitting on the throne and holding power.
My heart is seated—unmoved and certain.
As a noun: someone who backs you up or supports you in a fight or contest. As an adjective: coming after the first; lesser in rank or importance. As a verb: to stand behind someone's plan or action.
I'll be your second in the duel.
Lower in rank or importance; serving under someone else's authority. In Shakespeare, it often describes a person with less power or a deputy role.
A secondary position meant taking orders, not giving them.
Private or hidden—belonging to you alone, not shared. Also: mysterious, hard to understand, or (of a person) good at keeping quiet and not telling others what they know.
A secret door hides the treasure; a secret friend keeps your confidence.
A group of people united by shared beliefs or interests; a faction or party. Shakespeare also uses it to mean a class or category of people, sometimes with reference to gender or type.
The warring sects of noble families tore the city apart.
Someone who studies and practices astrology—reading the stars and planets to understand fate and character. In Shakespeare's time, astrology was taken seriously by educated people and courts alike.
A sectary might tell you that your birth under Saturn means you're prone to melancholy.
Free from worry or fear—sometimes wisely, sometimes foolishly. Can mean confident and at ease, or dangerously off your guard. Also means safe from harm or danger.
A secure king might let his guard drop at the worst moment.
Without worry or fear. Safe in the knowledge that nothing bad will happen—at least for the moment.
He slept securely, unaware of the danger closing in.
A feeling of being safe and confident—sometimes so much so that you let your guard down. It's the comfort that comes from thinking nothing can go wrong.
The king's security made him careless; he didn't see the danger creeping closer.
Made of sedge, a tough marsh grass. Often woven into crowns or garlands.
Mature and ready to reproduce—like a plant that's finished flowering and is set to scatter its seeds. Used to describe something or someone that has reached full development.
A seeded plant is ready to spread itself through the world.
The act of planting seeds in soil. A rare word even in Shakespeare's time, used just once.
Someone who sows seeds or sells them. In Shakespeare's time, an important figure in farming and gardening.
The ability to see, or the act of vision itself. Shakespeare uses it to mean both the physical faculty of sight and the quality of what's visible to the eye.
A jewel that gives the eye a precious power to see.
To search for or try to find someone or something. Also means to go after someone with a request or appeal.
She seeks her lost brother throughout the kingdom.
To ask for something or petition someone. When you seek, you're making a request or appeal to get what you want.
To sew shut a hawk's eyelids during training—a falconry technique. Shakespeare uses it figuratively to mean blindness or being kept in the dark.
The darkness seels our eyes to what's really happening.
Blessed or fortunate, and often simple or innocent because of it. The word has an old-fashioned, almost holy ring to it.
A seely fool, protected by grace he hardly deserves.
How something looks on the surface, or the appearance it gives. Sometimes it means a false front—what people *seem* to be rather than what they actually are. Shakespeare often uses it to explore the gap between show and reality.
She hid her true feelings behind a pleasant seeming.
appears to be; has the appearance or quality of
I'm amazed by your passionate words. I'm not mocking you: it seems you're mocking me.
Skilled or knowledgeable. When someone is "well seen" in a subject, they know it thoroughly.
He's well seen in the law and can argue any case.
To boil, or to move in a state of agitation and urgency. When something seethes, it's churning with heat or intensity.
His anger seethes beneath the surface, waiting to break free.
Boiling hot, or bubbling with intense activity. Shakespeare uses it both literally (of water or liquid) and figuratively (of a mind or emotions in turmoil).
A seething brain full of schemes and anger.
The act of scattering or breaking apart. In Shakespeare's time, it often meant the dispersal of a group or the separation of mixed things into distinct parts.
To take hold of or possess. In Shakespeare, often means to claim or own something—as in being seized of land or property.
He was seized of the castle and all its lands.
A firm grip or clasp. The act of holding something or someone tightly in your hands or arms.
Her hand offered itself to his gentle grip.
Rarely; not often. An old word for what we'd say "seldom" today.
A priest in seld-shown robes—meaning priestly dress you almost never see.
A prefix meaning 'one's own' or 'by oneself.' Shakespeare uses it to form compound words that describe actions, qualities, or states involving the self — either what belongs to you naturally, what you do to yourself, or what comes from within you.
Born of itself; arising naturally or inherently. Often used to mean 'one and the same' — emphasizing that something is unified or identical with itself.
In one self-born hour, all the confusion began and ended.
To give up or lose something, often at great cost. In Shakespeare, you might "sell your life"—meaning you die, or you sacrifice yourself. The word carries a sense of exchange or surrender.
He sold his life dearly in battle.
Similar or alike. Shakespeare often uses it to mean a person or thing that resembles another—a match or equal.
He found his semblable in the mirror—a man as troubled as himself.
In the same way; alike. One thing matching another in appearance or behavior.
The two brothers spoke semblably, with the same sharp wit.
Resembling or looking like something. Shakespeare uses it to mean that something appears to be or imitates another thing.
A stiffened petticoat with a hoop that curved around the back and sides but left the front open. It created a distinctive silhouette popular in Shakespeare's time.
To acknowledge or convey respect and submission to someone. Often used to express loyalty or deference to a superior.
I send him word of my allegiance.
A Roman writer and philosopher who lived until 65 AD. Shakespeare knew him through his tragic plays, which were widely read and performed in England.
Shakespeare borrowed plot ideas and moral lessons from Seneca's works.
The position or rank that comes with being older or having served longer. In Shakespeare's time, age and experience gave you authority and respect.
The old counselor claimed seniory over the younger nobles in the king's court.
A trumpet fanfare that signals a procession entering or leaving the stage. You hear it in royal scenes to announce someone important's arrival or exit.
A week—seven nights and days. You'll see it written as "se'nnight" or "sennight," which is just "seven night" squashed together. It's an old way of counting time that stuck around in Shakespeare's day.
I'll see you again in a sennight.
A person from Siena, a city in Italy. Shakespeare uses it to describe someone's origin or nationality.
Your mental faculties and ability to think or feel. Can mean reason, understanding, or even physical sensation—depending on context. Shakespeare uses it to mean everything from 'common sense' to 'desire' to 'meaning.'
Rest repairs a man's worn-out sense—his mind needs sleep like a body needs food.
Unaware of something; not paying attention to it. Can also mean lifeless or without feeling—like an object that can't sense anything.
A spendthrift who is senseless of expense doesn't notice how much money he's wasting.
Able to feel, perceive, or be moved by something. In Shakespeare's time, it means responsive to the senses and to emotion—aware of what's happening around you and affected by it.
A sensible heart knows joy and sorrow both.
With deep feeling; in a way that shows you're truly moved or affected. It can also mean in a way that a living, feeling creature would act.
He spoke sensibly of his loss, tears streaming down his face.
Dispatched or caused to go; commanded to proceed to a place or perform a task.
and her fairy went To take him to my bower in fairyland.
A wise saying or memorable line of advice. Shakespeare loved packing big ideas into short, quotable phrases—that's a sentence.
A good sentence sticks with you long after the play ends.
Packed with meaning; saying a lot in very few words. Shakespeare uses it to mean concise and pointed—though sometimes he seems to muddle it with 'sentences' (meaning wise sayings).
To stand guard or keep watch over something. In Shakespeare, it's used once as a poetic way to say someone is protecting a place or person.
Able to be divided or parted from something else. In Shakespeare's time, it often described things that could be split apart or kept distinct.
The north, or the northern direction. A rare or poetic way to name that compass point.
What comes next in order or as a consequence. One thing following another in a natural chain.
His daughter first, and then all the others in sequel.
An order or arrangement, one thing following another. In Shakespeare's time, this often meant things arranged by rank or importance—who comes first, who follows.
The nobles entered in sequence, highest rank leading the way.
Following as a result or consequence. Also means following one after another in succession.
A dozen sequent messengers arrived at the gate.
Being kept apart or shut away from others. In Shakespeare's time, it could mean enforced isolation—either as punishment or to keep someone safe.
The plague forced a sequestration of the sick from the healthy.
Dried up or withered. Also used to describe someone who's emotionally worn down or brittle—ready to snap at the slightest pressure.
An old king, crooked and sere, had lost his vigor.
A law officer who carries out arrests and enforces court orders. In Shakespeare's time, sergeants worked for the sheriff and had real power to seize people and property.
A sergeant arrives at the door with a warrant for debt.
A snake, or anything that moves and hisses like one. In Shakespeare, often a symbol of treachery or poison—something beautiful on the surface but deadly underneath.
The serpent's tongue flicked with venom.
A skin disease that causes spreading sores or a rashy eruption. In Shakespeare's time, it was a catch-all term for nasty skin conditions that crept across the body.
A person employed to serve another, typically in a household or court; one bound by duty or loyalty to a master or superior.
Don't worry, my lord, your servant will do it.
Under someone's control or rule; treated as a servant or subordinate. The word suggests being bound to serve another's will.
A king might feel servanted to his nobles when bound by oath and duty.
To be enough for the job at hand; to do what's needed. Also: to be convenient or well-timed, or to meet someone's needs or desires.
A simple cloak will serve for the journey.
The dishes and items set out for a meal — everything on the table from bread and salt to the full spread of food. A 'service' is a complete course or the whole setup for dining.
Ready and willing to help or serve. Someone serviceable is keen to do what's needed and doesn't make a fuss about it.
A serviceable friend shows up when you ask, no excuses.
Submissive or obedient in a way that shows a lack of dignity or self-respect. Someone servile does what they're told without question, eager to please.
A servile courtier bows and scrapes before the king, hoping for favor.
To make use of something; to put it to work. In Shakespeare, 'serving' often means employing or deploying something for a purpose.
He kept those old weapons for serving his cause when needed.
An exclamation used to brush something off or tell someone to leave you alone. The exact sense is unclear, but it carries the feel of "never mind" or "go on, get out of here."
A meeting of a court or judge to hear cases and deliver justice. Can also mean any formal gathering where business is conducted, or figuratively, a period of time devoted to some activity or state of mind.
To place or put something somewhere. Shakespeare uses it far more broadly than we do—to sit someone down, to stake money on a bet, to compose music, or to regard something as having a certain worth. Often paired with prepositions that shift the meaning: set upon (attack), set off (exempt from blame), set at (value).
To turn against someone or something, or to position as opposition. Often means to instigate action against a person, or to place something in contrast to show it off.
He set the new king's claim against his brother's right to rule.
A con artist who lures victims into traps so thieves can rob them. Setters worked with experienced criminals, drawing in unsuspecting people the way hunting dogs flush out game.
The setter befriended the merchant, then his accomplices robbed him in a dark alley.
The way someone holds or positions their face, especially their eyes. A fixed look or expression.
The stern setting of her eyes told him she was furious.
To become calm or composed, especially after anger or turmoil. When someone's fury or disturbance settles, their mind grows peaceful again.
Wait for his anger to settle before you speak to him.
Fixed and solid; not moving or changing. Can mean calm and composed, or—when describing something like blood or thought—congealed and stuck in place.
A period of seven years. In Shakespeare's time, seven years stood for a long stretch of time — long enough to feel like forever.
I'll wait for you for seven long years if I must.
A week — seven nights and the days between them. Shakespeare's way of counting time by the nights.
He'll return in a just sevennight.
Separate, distinct, or individual. Each thing on its own, not lumped together. Can also mean particular or belonging to one person in specific.
The three sisters took their several paths after leaving home.
One at a time, each in their own way or for their own reason. Not all together as a group.
The actors stepped forward severally to take their bows.
Individual people or things; the separate details or pieces that make up a whole. Shakespeare uses it for both the people themselves and the specific facts or qualities that set them apart.
The play's many severals—each character, each subplot—weave into one story.
Cruel and showing no mercy. Used to describe animals that are dangerous or ruthless in attack.
A severe lion hunts without pity.
A channel or pipe that carries waste water away. In Shakespeare's time, also the servant who brought dishes to the table at a formal meal.
The kitchen sewer ran beneath the castle floor.
A group of people, usually women or men as a category. Shakespeare uses it to mean "the female sex" or "the male sex" — a whole class of people.
"The general sex" = womankind, or all women as one group.
To hold someone back or restrain them, usually from doing what they want. Often used figuratively—fear shackles ambition, duty shackles freedom.
As a noun: a ghost, phantom, or spirit—the immaterial double of a person. As a verb: to dim or obscure something, often to hide it from view.
The shades of the dead wandered in darkness; leaves shade the forest floor.
A dark patch cast by something blocking light. Also: a shady or sheltered spot, a ghost or spirit, or an image—real or imagined—of something or someone.
Darkened or darkish in color, especially from sun exposure. A person made dark by the sun's heat.
Becoming darker or more troubled; deepening with gloom. When a feeling or mood shadows something, it's growing heavier and more serious.
A shadowing passion—one that darkens and weighs down the heart.
Dark and shaded, with little light. Often describes places where trees or other things block the sun.
A shadowy forest where the branches overhead block out the day.
Moving slowly or imperceptibly, like a shadow creeping across a sundial. Used to describe something that advances with stealth or quiet, gradual motion.
An arrow. The word emphasizes the long wooden body of the arrow, distinct from its feathers and metal tip.
He fired a shaft at the fleeing deer.
Shaggy or matted with hair. Shakespeare uses it to describe someone or something rough and unkempt, especially around the ears or head.
A shag-eared dog, wild and tangled from the road.
To move back and forth rapidly or violently. Often used with 'off' to mean get rid of something or refuse it.
He shook off the accusation like water from his cloak.
A shell or husk—the outer covering of something. Shakespeare uses it to mean the brittle, discardable part that contains or protects what's inside.
the shells and husks of men—their bodies stripped of life
Will do something, or must do it. Shakespeare uses it where we'd say 'will' or 'must'—sometimes to state a fact about the future, sometimes to express what's certain or inevitable, sometimes to give a command that feels like destiny.
If the gods be just, they shall assist the deeds of justest men.
Lacking depth of knowledge or judgment. Someone shallow doesn't understand things deeply and makes poor decisions, especially about people.
A shallow judge of character will trust the wrong friends.
Without thinking deeply or seriously about it. Done carelessly or on a whim.
You took up arms without really thinking it through.
will; shall (used to express future action or certainty, often with an imperative or commanding tone)
Fine, go your way: you won't leave this forest Until I get revenge for this insult.
A feeling of shyness or modesty—the kind that makes you hold back or feel exposed. In Shakespeare, it often means a natural reluctance to put yourself forward or face scrutiny.
She felt shame at being singled out in front of the court.
Easily embarrassed or shy. Someone who blushes readily and feels self-conscious in front of others.
Without shame or embarrassment. Done openly and without caring what others think.
He shameless lied to the king's face.
The form or appearance of something. Shakespeare uses it loosely where we'd now say 'form' or 'fashion.' It can also mean the way things will turn out or the role someone is about to play.
Without clear form or purpose. Sometimes used to mean ugly or badly made.
A day of shapeless idleness—drifting with no plan.
A broken piece of pottery or clay. Shakespeare also uses it to mean the hard wing-case of a beetle, which led him to call beetles "shard-borne" creatures.
A handful of shards lay where the plate had shattered on the stone floor.
To take a portion or benefit as your own. Also means to experience or enjoy something along with others.
What glory does Achilles gain from defeating Hector?
Gathered or scrounged together in a rough, disorganized way. Often used for assembling a group of people or things without much care or plan.
They shark'd together a crew of hired fighters for the battle.
Keen and intense. In Shakespeare, it often means hungry or eager—a sharp appetite is a fierce one. It can also describe a clever argument or a high, piercing sound.
Sharp hunger drove the soldiers to raid the village stores.
Looking thin and gaunt, as though hungry or malnourished. The word suggests someone who appears to be in want.
A sharp-looking beggar approached, his ribs showing through his tattered coat.
Quick to act and well prepared. Ready to move or respond without hesitation.
A sharp-provided general wins the battle before the enemy knows it's begun.
With acute feeling or intensity. When you experience something sharply, you feel it deeply and distinctly.
Those who are betrayed feel the wound sharply.
Harshness or severity—the quality of being rough or unkind. A sharp word cuts; sharp treatment wounds.
The king spoke with such sharpness that the courtier left the room in tears.
A woman or girl. Sometimes used as a noun meaning the woman being talked about, especially a lover or lady of rank.
she is; a contraction combining the female pronoun 'she' with the present-tense verb 'is'
Oh, when she's angry, she's sharp and clever! She was a troublemaker when she was in school; And even though she's small, she's tough.
To bundle grain or straw together after harvest. Sheaves—those neat bundles you see in old paintings—had to be tied by hand.
The workers sheaf the wheat before the storm arrives.
Opened and emptied—like a pea pod after the peas have been removed. Used to describe something hollowed out or stripped bare.
An empty pea pod, all the peas gone.
A worker who cuts the nap off woollen cloth to smooth and finish it. A common trade in Shakespeare's England.
A sheath or case for a weapon, especially a dagger or sword. The metal or leather covering that holds the blade when it's not in use.
The dagger hadn't yet been returned to its sheathing.
Made of straw or straw bundles. You'd see this on hats, thatch, or other woven straw goods.
a sheav'd hat worn by country folk
To scatter or spread out in different directions. Things shed fall or spray away from a central point.
The explosion shed splinters across the street.
A woolly farm animal—but also the butt of a pun. In Shakespeare's time, "sheep" and "ship" sounded identical in some English dialects, so characters would deliberately mix them up for laughs.
A contemptible, sneaking coward—someone worthless and pitiful. The term comes from an old insult comparing a man to a mangy dog that bites at sheep because it's too weak to hunt proper prey.
A long wooden staff with a curved hook at one end, used by shepherds to catch and control sheep. The hook lets them grab a sheep by the leg or neck from a distance.
The old shepherd leaned on his sheep-hook, scanning the hillside for stragglers.
A festival or celebration held when a farm's sheep are sheared for their wool. It's a social occasion with feasting and merrymaking, marking an important point in the farming year.
The family prepared a grand feast to mark the sheep-shearing, expecting half the village.
Pure and unmixed. Nothing added or diluted—the real thing by itself.
Sheer ale means ale alone, no water or other ingredient weakening it.
To wrap or cover something completely, as you would with a cloth or blanket. In Shakespeare, often used of draping the dead or covering something to hide it.
Sheet the body before we carry it to the tomb.
Wrapped in a white cloth, usually a burial shroud. In Shakespeare, often used to describe ghosts or the dead.
The sheeted ghost appeared at midnight, wrapped head to toe in linen.
A unit of money. Shakespeare uses it to mean any coin or sum of cash, often with a hint that the amount is small or that the speaker is being stingy.
He won't spend a single shekel on his own comfort.
To hide or take cover. In Shakespeare, often used when a character wants to conceal themselves or get out of sight.
Hidden from view; kept out of sight. Something or someone that's sheltered is tucked away where it can't be seen or found.
A sheltered place in the woods where no one would think to look.
Shallow ridges of sand or rock that jut out underwater. Ships had to navigate carefully around them or risk running aground.
The ship struck the shelves and broke apart on the rocks.
Sloping or slanting. A surface that leans or angles rather than standing straight up.
A room built shelving slopes downward, not upright.
Full of shallow sandbars or underwater ridges that stick up. Ships have to navigate carefully around them.
Shamed, scolded, or told off. It's the past tense of an old verb meaning to ruin someone's reputation or scold them harshly.
A knight who has been shent in battle loses his honor.
A strong, dry white wine imported from Spain. It was popular in England and often served at taverns and feasts.
A cup of sherris warms the belly on a cold evening.
To protect or guard. Often used in the phrase "God shield" as an exclamation meaning "God forbid" or "may God prevent that."
God shield you mean it not! (May God protect us from such a thing.)
A trick or clever way around something. Also means a change of clothes, or any makeshift solution when you need to get by. 'Make a shift' means to manage, to find a way forward.
Dishonest or deceptive. Someone who is shifting cannot be trusted to stay true to their word.
A shifting merchant who sells false goods.
An elaborately tall headdress worn by fashionable women in Shakespeare's time, shaped like the prow of a ship. It was a dramatic statement piece—expensive, impractical, and impossible to ignore.
A woman in a ship-tire had to duck through doorways.
A sailor. Someone who works on a ship.
The shipman knew every current and reef along the coast.
Put on board a ship; sent by sea. In Shakespeare's time, this was how goods and people traveled long distances.
The merchant shipp'd his cargo to distant lands.
A voyage by sea, or the act of boarding a ship. When someone speaks of "good shipping," they mean a safe and successful journey.
The merchant hoped for good shipping across the Channel.
A slice or chunk of bread. In Shakespeare's time, a loaf was often cut and left where servants or the poor could easily grab a piece.
To break into small fragments or splinters. In Shakespeare's day, this word carried the sense of shattering violently, not the modern shaking from cold.
Your skull would shatter like an eggshell.
Small, sharp fragments or splinters. When something breaks, it breaks into shivers.
The mirror shattered into a hundred shivers across the floor.
A shallow place in water. Shakespeare uses it as a metaphor for something fleeting or unstable—like a sandbar that shifts beneath you.
The bank and shoal of time—a brief, uncertain span of life.
To crash together with force; to collide or clash head-on. Often used in battle or confrontation.
The armies shock each other on the field.
A covering for the foot. Shakespeare uses the archaic plural 'shoon' only once, in a character's dialect speech—it's not standard Shakespearean English.
A shoe-horn — the curved tool you use to slip your foot into a shoe. In Shakespeare's time, it's also used as a symbol of servility or someone who helps push things along for others.
To move away or go off. An old word that lingers in some dialects, but Shakespeare's audience would have known it well.
Shog off and leave me be.
A round of shooting, or the act of firing a weapon. Also means a good vantage point for taking aim.
A stand where you may make the fairest shot.
A workshop or place where goods are made or repaired. Shakespeare often uses it to mean a workspace or craft room, not a store where you buy things.
The cobbler's shop smelled of leather and glue.
The land at the edge of the sea or a large body of water. In Shakespeare's time, it could also mean the earth itself, or the world with all its changing features.
The ship finally reached the shore after weeks at sea.
Not enough; falling short of what's needed or expected. Can also mean kept under tight control or held back from having enough.
His praise was too short—it didn't match what he'd actually done.
Unable to reach far or grasp much. Used figuratively of a mind or understanding that can't stretch to take in the wider picture.
short-armed ignorance — a mind too narrow to see beyond its own small world
Being direct and honest. Speaking plainly without decoration or pretense.
He answered with shortness, no flowery words to soften the blow.
Your bill at a tavern or alehouse—what you owe for drinks. In some contexts, a marksman or archer.
He couldn't pay his shot at the inn, so they wouldn't let him leave.
Without having to pay for your share. You get something for free while others cover the cost.
He drank shot-free all evening while his friends bought the rounds.
Worn out or worthless. The word originally meant a herring that had spawned and lost its value as food, but Shakespeare uses it more broadly to describe anything or anyone past their prime.
A shotten herring—dried up, spent, good for nothing.
A rough, shaggy dog, often large. It was a working breed in Shakespeare's time, useful for hunting or herding.
In Shakespeare's time, used where we'd now say 'would.' It can mean something was likely to happen, or it marks what someone said or thought would occur. Often appears in reported speech or narrative moments looking back.
"How should they break in?" means "How would they get in?"
The side or edge of something, especially in the phrase "shoulder of the sail" — the part where the wind catches and fills the fabric.
The wind fills the shoulder of your sail, pushing the ship forward.
Someone who taps you on the shoulder — either as a friendly greeting, or to arrest you. In Shakespeare's time, constables would literally touch a suspect this way to take them into custody.
Lame or injured in the shoulder. Used of a horse or animal that can no longer move properly because of damage to that joint.
A shoulder-shotten horse stumbles and fails to carry its rider forward.
To shove or push roughly, especially to drive someone out of the way. Can also mean to thrust deep into something, almost up to the shoulders.
He shoulder'd his way through the crowd.
A variant spelling of 'shoot'—the whole of something, or a round or turn. In some early printed editions of Shakespeare, what we'd spell 'shoot' appears as 'shout'.
A shilling from the reign of King Edward VI, named after the popular coin-pushing game shove-groat. Players would slide these coins across a board toward a marked target.
Something you see or witness—a sight, a vision, or a spectacle. It can mean a display meant to impress, or simply how something looks to the eye.
The royal procession was quite a show.
A striking or impressive appearance or display. The way someone or something looks or presents itself to the world.
He made a great showing at court in his new robes.
A woman who scolds or nags relentlessly. Shakespeare uses it as an insult for a sharp-tongued, quarrelsome person.
Petruchio marries Kate, a woman everyone calls a shrew.
Sharp-tongued, cutting, or mean-spirited—the kind of person who bites with words. Can also mean something nasty or dangerous, with a bite to it.
A shrewd insult cuts deeper than a blunt one.
Sharply or intensely. In Shakespeare, it can mean a keen, cutting quality—like cold that bites hard—or great force and severity.
The winter air bites shrewdly against the skin.
A sheriff—the officer who keeps the peace and carries out the law in a county or region. In Shakespeare's time, the shrieve was a real person with real power.
The shrieve arrives to arrest the troublemaker and restore order.
Confession made to a priest, usually followed by forgiveness of sins. It's the act of unburdening yourself spiritually.
To cry out loudly and piercingly. Often used for high, sharp sounds of grief or distress.
Andromache cries out her sorrows in a piercing voice.
Having a high, piercing voice. A bird or person with a shrill-gorged voice cuts through the air with sharp, thin sound.
A religious image or statue, usually of a saint, that people pray to or touch. In Shakespeare's time, these were common objects of devotion.
To shiver or flinch from cold or fear. In Shakespeare, it often means to huddle or draw back from something painful or uncomfortable.
The slaves shrank from the winter cold.
To hear someone's confession and give them forgiveness for their sins. A priest's job. In Shakespeare's time, this was a crucial religious act, especially before death or marriage.
The priest will shrive him before he dies.
A priest who hears confession and gives absolution. In Shakespeare's world, a spiritual guide you'd go to when you needed to unburden your sins.
The king sought out his shriver to confess before battle.
As a noun: a shelter or hiding place. As a verb: to hide or take shelter somewhere. In both cases, the idea is ducking away from view or danger.
I will hide here in the shadows.
Ropes or lines rigged from the mast down to the sides of a ship, holding the mast steady. Essential rigging on any sailing vessel.
The sailors climbed the shrouds to reach the upper sails.
A bad-tempered, quarrelsome person—usually a woman. Shakespeare uses it to mean someone who's shrewish or hard to live with.
She called him a shrow for forgetting their anniversary.
To use tricks or dodges to get what you want. To shift something, or shift yourself, to avoid a problem or change position.
With a little shuffling, you may choose an unbated sword.
Impossible to avoid or escape. When something is shunless, it's going to happen no matter what you do.
Death is shunless — we all must face it in the end.
To confine or lock someone in a place. To shut them away from the world.
The king shut his enemy up in the tower for twenty years.
In ancient times, a woman thought to have the gift of prophecy, chosen by Apollo himself. Shakespeare uses the name to mean someone incredibly old, or to invoke the idea of fate and prediction.
Sibyls' leaves—scraps of prophecy scattered by the wind—stood for destiny itself.
A woman who claims to see the future or speak prophecies. The name comes from ancient Greek oracles, so calling someone a sibyl means they're ancient or mysteriously wise.
A Latin phrase meaning faith or loyalty is proven through action and circumstance. It appears in Shakespeare as a motto or reflection on how trust is tested.
Sicily, the large island off the southern tip of Italy. Shakespeare sometimes pairs it with Naples when referring to the whole southern Italian region.
Deeply troubled or overwhelmed — by sorrow, longing, disgust, or envy. Shakespeare uses it to describe a heart worn down by emotion, a stomach turned by something loathsome, or a soul aching with desire. Sometimes it means pale or sickly in appearance.
A heart sick with longing; sick with envy of his rival's success.
Weighed down by longing or yearning. The mind is troubled by strong desire—heavy with wanting.
Venus consumed by love, her thoughts sick with desire for Adonis.
To feel or become nauseated—either from having too much of something, or from disgust at it. The stomach rebels.
Too much sweetness will sicken you; too much cruelty sickens the heart.
Covered with a pale or unhealthy color. The word suggests something that looks drained of life, as though illness has washed over it.
The sky sicklied o'er with clouds looked ready for a storm.
Marked by or full of sickness. Weak, unhealthy, or prone to illness.
Her sickly days meant she spent months away from court.
A unit of currency, especially in the Middle East. In Shakespeare's time, English readers would have known this as a biblical coin of significant value.
He paid thirty sickles for the field.
To take someone's side in a dispute or conflict. To align yourself with a faction or cause.
He chose to side with the rebels rather than the king.
Deeply painful or wounding to the heart. Something that pierces you emotionally, cutting right through.
A seat or throne—especially one that signals rank or authority. In Shakespeare, it often means a position of high standing or dignity.
A king upon his siege commands respect.
A strainer or sifter. Shakespeare uses it as a figure for someone who can't hold secrets or keep things in—words, loyalty, or resources just leak right through.
A sieve of a man; whatever you tell him will be all over town by morning.
To express sorrow, longing, or regret through a deep breath. Often a wordless way of showing pain or desire.
She sighed at the thought of him leaving.
The pupil of the eye, or the opening in a helmet's visor that lets you see out. Shakespeare uses it to mean the eye itself or what the eye looks through.
His eyes, whose sights were fixed on my face.
A small hole you look through to see something without being seen yourself. Used in fortifications, walls, or hidden spaces.
A guard peered through the sight-hole in the castle wall.
Having the ability to see. Shakespeare often uses this to describe someone or something with eyes, or to emphasize vision as a power.
A creature sighted like the basilisk—deadly just to look at.
Blind or unable to see. Can also mean invisible, or so ugly it offends the eye.
The lover describes his beloved's dark eyes as sightless—not because they can't see, but because they're shrouded in shadow.
A banner, flag, or standard carried into battle. Also: any signal or gesture that conveys meaning, or an omen that foretells what's coming.
Shall we give sign of battle? (Should we raise our flag to start the fight?)
A sign or token—something that shows or stands for something else. In Shakespeare, often a visible mark or gesture that carries meaning.
A white flag as a signal of surrender.
A sign or token that stands for something else. Shakespeare uses it for a message or letter that speaks without words—a physical thing that carries meaning.
A man of high social rank or wealth. In Shakespeare's time, a title of respect for a gentleman or nobleman—roughly like 'Mr.' or 'Sir' today, but carrying more weight.
The signior arrived with his fine clothes and servants.
A ruling power or territory, especially in Italy. Shakespeare uses it for the governing councils and the lands they control—most often the city-state of Venice.
The Signory of Venice holds sway over the merchant ships in the harbor.
As a noun: a person who is silent or quiet. As a verb: to quiet someone, or to suppress them—to make them stop speaking or making noise.
He silenced his critics with a single gesture.
Silence—the absence of sound. Shakespeare uses it as a thing in itself, not just the lack of noise.
The silent of the night fell heavy around them.
Smooth and soft like silk fabric. Used to describe hair or skin with a luxurious, gentle feel.
Her silk hair fell across her shoulders.
Soft, smooth, and luxurious like silk. Shakespeare often used it to mean something delicate or refined—sometimes with a hint that it's too soft, too fancy, or unmanly for serious work.
A warrior rejecting 'silken dalliance' chooses duty over comfort.
Weak, helpless, or deserving pity. In Shakespeare's time, *silly* meant vulnerable or plain—not foolish the way we use it now. A silly dwarf is a frail one; silly women are defenseless ones.
A silly groom in simple clothes, not a foolish one.
Flowing in shimmering, tear-like streams. The silver suggests both brightness and the precious value of what's being lost.
Tears fell silver-shedding down her cheeks.
With a bright, gleaming light like silver. The word describes something shining with that particular pale, cool radiance.
The moonlight fell silverly across the sleeping castle.
A medicinal herb or plant used to treat illness. Apothecaries kept supplies of simples on hand—individual plants rather than mixed remedies.
Innocence or naïveté—the state of being artless and without guile. Sometimes Shakespeare uses it to mean foolishness or lack of sense.
A child's simpleness made her trust the stranger's promises.
Foolishness or lack of sense. Shakespeare uses it to mean a kind of naive or stupid behavior, not the virtue we'd call simplicity today.
By itself, with nothing else added. No fancy decorations or conditions — just the plain fact.
Fake or pretended. Something that looks genuine but is actually a copy or fraud.
He offered simular proof, but everyone could see it was forged.
When; at the time that. Often used when someone is remembering or recalling something that happened. 'Since you left, everything changed' — it marks the point in time from which you're measuring back.
Strength or power, especially the muscular force that holds something together. Shakespeare uses it for both the physical sinews in your body and for what makes something strong or functional.
The economy's sinews were stretched to breaking point.
Strengthened and made powerful, as if by muscle and sinew. The word often describes armies, characters, or resolve that have been toughened or made forceful.
A sinewed army marched to war, hardened by years of battle.
In a way that brings punishment or ruin, as if by divine judgment. Something done sinfully ends badly, as though wickedness itself were calling down consequences.
to produce musical sounds with the voice; to perform a song or ballad
Sing me to sleep; Then get back to your tasks, and let me rest.
A man employed to sing in a cathedral or church choir. These were often paid positions that required skill and training.
One alone, or weak and inadequate. Shakespeare uses it to mean solitary, unmarried, or feeble—a single action or effort that stands alone feels thin compared to what's needed.
"Your help is many, or else your actions would grow wondrous single"—one person's effort seems frail.
Worthless or contemptible. The image is of a shoe worn so thin it has only one layer of sole left—shabby and falling apart, like the person wearing it.
Lack of good sense or wit; foolishness. Sometimes used to mean plain simplicity, but in Shakespeare it usually leans toward silliness.
He mocked the man's singleness for believing such an obvious lie.
One person alone, or one at a time. Also means uniquely or in a way no one else can match.
You're the only honest man in this whole corrupt court.
Unlike anything else; remarkable or striking in a way that sets it apart. When used as an adverb (singularly), it means exceptionally or unusually.
A singular talent for music — something you don't see every day.
In the singular form — one person or thing, not plural. A grammatical term you'll see in stage directions or notes about how a word is used.
An odd or unusual quality that makes someone distinctive. Shakespeare often uses it to mean a striking personal quirk or mannerism that sets someone apart.
To pick out one person or thing from a group. To select or distinguish someone as special.
The king singule'd him for praise among all the soldiers.
Left-hand side, or left. Also used to mean unfair or unjust, with the idea that the left is wrong or unlucky.
A wound on his sinister cheek—meaning the left side of his face.
To be destroyed or ruined, or to destroy and ruin someone else. Often used for a person's reputation, fortune, or life itself.
His enemies plotted to sink him completely.
A lively five-step dance popular in Shakespeare's time. It had a quick, bouncy rhythm and was often performed at court or in comedies as a showy, entertaining move.
The young lovers broke into a sinke-a-pace to celebrate their betrothal.
So weighed down or decayed that you're about to sink. Used of ships taking on water, or people worn out and failing.
A man of rank or authority — a lord, nobleman, or gentleman. Also used as a polite form of address to any man, much like today. Sometimes priests were called 'sir' before their name.
You can address a king as 'sir,' a servant as 'sir,' or use it ironically to mock a man acting above his station.
A polite phrase you'd use before saying something crude or indelicate. It comes from "save your reverence"—basically asking forgiveness in advance for the offensive thing you're about to mention.
To father a child, or figuratively to create or bring something into being. Shakespeare often uses it to mean 'to produce' or 'to cause.'
Ambition sired a thousand wars.
A beautiful woman who tempts or enchants a man—from the old myth of sea creatures who lured sailors to their doom with songs. In Shakespeare, often used to suggest danger wrapped in attraction.
A siren's smile, lovely but treacherous.
A direct form of address, usually for someone below your social rank. When you use it with equals or superiors, it sounds rude or too familiar—like you're talking down to them.
A master might snap 'Sirrah, fetch water!' to a servant, but calling your friend by it would be insulting.
In Shakespeare, often refers to the three Fates—the goddesses who spin, measure, and cut the thread of human life. The word carries the weight of destiny and sisterhood together.
The three sisters control every mortal's fate.
Lying next to something else; neighboring or adjacent. Used to describe one thing that sits alongside another.
A sistering vale—one nestled right beside another.
To rest in a seated position, or to settle in place as something heavy or oppressive. Also: to meet together in council or assembly.
Despair sits heavy on her heart.
To rank higher or take precedence over something else. Policy matters more than conscience.
Whether it's right or wrong; by any means necessary. A Latin phrase Shakespeare uses to mean he'll do something no matter the cost or morality.
Since; because. An older word for the same meaning you'd use today.
Things that have happened since then.
Since then; from that time forward. An archaic way of saying 'since' or 'ever since,' linking back to something that happened before.
Sithence we last met, much has changed in the kingdom.
A meeting or session, especially one where you sit down with someone for a formal talk or to conduct business.
The king granted him a sitting to hear his petition.
Of a particular size or scale. Used to match one thing's magnitude to another's.
My fear matches my love's size.
A fixed allowance of food or money given to a student at university, especially a poor student who had to work in exchange. Shakespeare uses it to mean cutting back on these meager provisions.
A close friend or intimate companion — someone you're bound to by loyalty and shared experience. The word likely comes from a dagger (skean) carried as a weapon, so it originally meant someone you'd fight alongside or trust in danger.
Cunning or deliberate pretence—a crafty way of acting or seeming. It can also mean a clever move or strategy that turns something to your advantage.
She hid her fear in skill, pretending calm when she was terrified.
Unfamiliar with something; lacking knowledge or experience of a place or subject. When Shakespeare says someone is 'skill-less in these parts,' he means they don't know the area or don't know what they're doing there.
A visitor to a foreign city might feel skill-less in its streets and customs.
A small metal cooking pan, usually with a handle. The kind you'd use for frying or heating food over a fire.
Heat butter in the skillet before you add the eggs.
Confused and meandering. Applied to speech or writing that jumps around without clear purpose or logic.
His skimble-skamble explanation left everyone more lost than before.
To cover over or seal a surface, especially a wound or sore. In Shakespeare's time, doctors would use medicines that formed a protective layer over infected areas.
Someone restless or lightheaded—always jumping from one thing to the next, never settling down.
Lightheaded or scatterbrained. Someone who doesn't think things through or can't focus.
A skipping mind won't survive the law's demands.
To move fast and energetically across a place. Often used for traveling over land with speed and purpose.
The messenger skirred across the fields to deliver the urgent news.
Wearing a coat with a skirt or skirts attached. In Shakespeare's time, this French fashion was striking enough to notice and remark on.
A variant spelling of Scogan, a figure from medieval jest-books and folklore—often invoked in Shakespeare's time as the type of the witty fool or prankster.
To hide or slink about, usually out of fear or shame. Someone skulking is trying not to be seen.
A thief skulking in the shadows, waiting for the guard to pass.
Relating to the sky or the air above us. Shakespeare uses it to describe things touched by or belonging to the heavens.
The skyey vault stretched above them, vast and infinite.
Very tall, reaching toward the sky. Used to describe something that towers up dramatically.
Thick and slimy, like mud or paste. The word describes something viscous that clings or sticks.
Make the gruel thick and slab — heavy enough to coat a spoon.
To neglect or shirk something. To be lazy or careless about a duty or responsibility.
Don't slack your duty to the king.
killed or murdered; put to death violently
If you've killed Lysander in his sleep, And, with your feet covered in blood, thrown him in the deep, And killed me too.
To satisfy or put an end to something—usually a desire or need. When you slake your thirst, you drink until you've had enough.
He slaked his hunger with bread and wine.
A false accusation or shameful rumor spread about someone. It damages a person's reputation and brings them public disgrace.
He tried to clear his name of the slander that he was a coward.
Shameful or disgraceful. Something that brings dishonor or damages a reputation.
A slanderous rumor about the king spread through the court.
Blood, especially blood shed in violence or death. Shakespeare uses it as a poetic way to talk about bloodshed without naming blood directly.
The battlefield ran with slaughter.
To make someone completely obedient to your will. To reduce a person to servitude.
He tried to slave her to his ambitions.
To drool or slobber; to have your mouth dirty with saliva.
His lips were slavering as he slept.
Tangled or knotted silk thread—the kind you'd need to unravel and smooth out. Shakespeare uses it as a image for confusion or disorder.
Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleave of care.
Traveling or fighting on sleds. In *Hamlet*, it describes Polish soldiers moving across snow and ice, or possibly armed with sledge hammers.
To make smooth or sleek. In Shakespeare's time, often used literally—smoothing hair or fabric—but also metaphorically, to make something polished or refined.
She sleeks her hair before the mirror.
To be inactive or neglectful; to ignore or overlook something. A law that sleeps hasn't disappeared—it's just not being enforced. A person who sleeps on an injustice turns a blind eye to it.
The king's eyes had slept upon the villain's crimes for years.
The cuff or band at the end of a sleeve, near the wrist. Often decorative and sometimes detachable.
He pulled his sleeve-hand up to show the embroidered cuff beneath.
Pointless or futile. In Shakespeare's time, a sleeveless errand was a task that would go nowhere—a waste of effort.
Asking him to change his mind is a sleeveless errand.
Unprocessed or raw, especially of silk that hasn't been woven or finished yet. Used to describe thread or fabric in its rough, natural state.
A clever trick or skillful deception. Often used for magic tricks or sleight-of-hand.
The magician's sleights fooled the whole audience.
A thin or scrawny person. Shakespeare uses it as a mild insult for someone who looks undernourished or gangly.
That lanky fellow—nothing but a slice of a man.
A fall from grace or a moment of moral weakness. A lapse in virtue or judgment.
His sliding into dishonesty cost him everything.
With careless disregard; without much thought or care. To treat something as if it hardly matters.
He slightly dismissed her concerns, barely listening to what she had to say.
Something of little importance or value. A small matter that doesn't deserve serious attention.
He dismissed her concerns as mere slightness, not worth a moment's thought.
A leash or restraint for hunting dogs. Also: a counterfeit coin, or a young plant cutting. Shakespeare plays on the leash meaning most often.
You stand like greyhounds in the slips — ready but held back.
Slippery or smooth — hard to grip or hold onto. Used to describe surfaces, footing, or anything that slides away from your grasp.
The wet stones were slipper underfoot as he fled.
Hard to hold on to or trust; changeable and unreliable. Used for people who break their word or for fortune itself, which shifts without warning.
The world's slippery turns mean today's friend becomes tomorrow's enemy.
Wearing slippers or soft shoes instead of proper ones. By extension, careless or done without proper care—as if you threw on shoes carelessly and didn't bother to do things right.
A slipshod performance of the play disappointed the audience.
To split or tear off a thin piece, especially a branch or twig. Shakespeare uses it for the violent act of breaking something away from its source.
A branch slivered from the tree in the storm.
Messy and wet, dripping or running sloppily. Often used to describe something or someone that's damp and unkempt.
Loose, baggy breeches that were fashionable, especially in France. They hung full and gathered at the knee or calf.
He strutted in his fancy French slops, looking every inch the continental gentleman.
Dirty, messy, or unkempt. Someone who doesn't care about cleanliness or appearance.
His slovenly clothes and unwashed face made him look like a beggar.
Carelessness or sloppiness—neglecting your appearance, your work, or your surroundings. It's the opposite of being neat and put-together.
Dull or serious in manner or mood. Not quick or lively—the opposite of brisk or witty.
A slow answer might come from someone thoughtful, not quick to joke.
To do something badly or carelessly, often by rushing through it. Can also mean to soil or smear something.
He slubbers through his work without paying attention to detail.
A lazy person who loves to stay in bed. Shakespeare uses it as a mild insult for someone who's sluggish or slow to act.
Sleep. A state of rest where you're unconscious.
The guards fell into heavy slumber and didn't hear the army approach.
Sexually immoral or promiscuous. In Shakespeare's time, the word was slung at women as harshly as any insult—it carried deep shame and was meant to destroy reputation.
A woman accused of being sluttish faced social ruin, regardless of the truth.
Moving quietly or smoothly, almost without notice. Used of time passing imperceptibly, or a person creeping along unseen.
The sly slow hours crept by while he waited.
Thin, fine, or slender in texture or diameter. Can also describe a sound that's high and thin, or time that's short.
A voice small as a whisper, or rain so small it hardly wets the ground.
Causing sharp pain or stinging sensation. A wound smarts; an insult smarts.
The blow to his arm made it smart for days.
A small taste or hint of something. A smatch of learning means you've picked up just enough to sound like you know what you're talking about.
He had a smatch of French, picked up from years of reading.
To talk fast and carelessly, usually about something you don't know much about. Shallow chatter.
He smattered on about law without understanding a word of it.
To damage someone's reputation or honor with shame or disgrace. In Shakespeare, it often means to stain or soil something precious—a name, a victory, or glory itself—with filth or failure.
His great triumph was smeared by the humiliation of captivity.
To emit or give off a scent or odor. Someone or something smells of a particular thing when that's the scent they carry.
The room smelt of lavender and old wine.
To mock or sneer at someone. Also: to break into laughter or grin so hard your face creases with wrinkles.
Don't smile at what I'm saying—listen.
A small or slight smile. Shakespeare uses this mostly in descriptions of gentle, tentative, or knowing expressions.
A smilet played across her lips as she recognized him.
A linen undergarment or loose overgown worn by women. Sometimes used as slang for 'woman' — as in 'a shirt and a smock' meaning a man and a woman.
As a noun: vapor or mist, or figuratively, empty words and hot air. As a verb: to flush someone out (like smoke driving a fox from its den), to expose someone's secret, or to give someone a beating or rough time.
He filled the room with smoke—both literal fog and meaningless chatter.
A devil or demon, often invoked in oaths or curses. The name appears in lists of infernal spirits in early modern English texts.
Pleasant and easy, without difficulty or roughness. Often used of people who are ingratiating or falsely charming—the kind who slide through life with flattery and oily manners.
A smooth talker who hides his cruelty behind smiles.
A bald man, or a man with a smooth, hairless head. Used as a casual insult or nickname.
The old smooth-pate was mocked for his gleaming dome.
Sweet-talking or flattering. Someone using smooth words to win you over or get what they want.
Past tense and past participle of smite. You hit someone or something hard, or you struck them down in battle or punishment.
The warrior smote his enemy with a mighty blow.
Thick smoke that chokes and stifles. The word captures both the smoke itself and the choking feeling it causes.
Fleeing the burning house, he stumbled from the smoke into the smother.
Neat and trim in appearance; well-groomed and spruce. Often used to describe someone dressed carefully or looking sharp.
A smug bridegroom arriving at the church in his finest clothes.
A demon's name from an old exorcism account that Shakespeare borrowed. It appears in *King Lear* as one of the spirits that possess the mad beggar.
Poor Tom names Smulkin among the fiends tormenting him on the heath.
A contemptuous term for a person you see as treacherous, deceitful, or cowardly. It carries the idea of something that slithers and strikes without warning.
He called his rival a snake for breaking their agreement.
A quick grab or seize. Also: a witty remark or clever comeback, especially in a back-and-forth exchange. Can also mean a sudden break or stutter in someone's speech.
He fired off a snatch of wit that left them all laughing.
A thief or raider who moves fast and strikes without warning. In Shakespeare's time, snatchers were often highway robbers or soldiers who plundered as they went.
Someone who avoids drinking when it's their turn or expected of them. A coward about the bottle.
He's a sneak-cup—watch him dodge his round at the tavern.
To rebuke or snub someone sharply. Also used of cold weather or frost that nips and damages—as when winter pinches plants or bites at exposed skin.
A sneaping frost kills the buds before spring arrives.
Get lost. A blunt dismissal, telling someone to go away or stop bothering you.
A foolish or easily tricked person. The snipe was seen as a dim-witted bird, so calling someone a snipe meant they'd fall for anything.
You're a snipe if you believe that old story.
Dressed in taffeta cloth that's been cut or slashed for style. This was a flashy fashion in Shakespeare's day—taffeta showed through the slits in the outer garment.
A vain courtier shows up in snipt-taffeta, all glitter and no substance.
To snore—to breathe noisily through your nose while sleeping. Shakespeare uses it to describe the loud, harsh sound a sleeping person makes.
The drunk guard snorted away while thieves crept past him.
A fit of anger or hurt feelings. When someone takes offense and gets huffy about it, they're in a snuff. The word plays on the image of a candle-wick smoldering—anger that's hot but contained.
He left in a snuff after she didn't invite him to the party.
Used to mean "however" or "no matter how." Shakespeare uses it in old-fashioned constructions like "be he so strong" (meaning "however strong he is"). Also used as an expression of agreement or acceptance — like saying "fine" or "very well."
What king so strong can stand against this threat?
and so on; used to skip over awkward or indelicate details without naming them directly. A polite way to leave something unsaid.
He spoke of the lady's visits, her gifts, her promises—and so forth.
Absorbent; able to soak up liquid. Shakespeare uses it to describe something that draws in or takes on whatever comes its way.
Calm, serious, and dignified. Not drunk or frivolous, but thoughtful and measured in manner or speech.
He spoke in sober tones about the danger ahead.
With calm, serious composure. Without fuss or emotional display.
He answered the charges soberly, keeping his composure.
Restraint and modesty in how you act and dress. A quiet, dignified manner that doesn't draw attention.
The maid's sobriety impressed even the rowdy guests at court.
Friendly and willing to get along with others. Someone sociable is warm toward people and wants their company.
He won his enemies over with a sociable nature—hard not to like him once you'd had a drink with him.
The company or companionship of others. A bond of friendship or partnership with someone.
He missed the society of his old friends while traveling abroad.
Soaked through, like something boiled or drenched. Shakespeare uses it to describe a person thoroughly stupid or muddled—completely saturated with foolishness.
A sod wit, too addled to see what's plain before him.
Soaked through, usually from boiling or steaming. Shakespeare uses it with a wink at bathhouses, where people emerged dripping wet.
A sodden cloak hung heavy on his shoulders after the steam bath.
As an adjective: gentle, tender, mild. As an interjection or adverb: a call to wait or listen—stop a moment. Can also mean gently or slowly.
Soft, sir—hear me out before you answer.
Gently or carefully. Can also mean at a slow pace, without rushing.
Lead your battle softly on — move your troops at a measured pace.
Mild and gentle in spirit or demeanor. A person who is soft-hearted or tender rather than fierce or aggressive.
A hunter's shout to alert companions when spotting game—especially a hare breaking from its hiding place. It's how you'd yell to your hunting party, "I've got one!"
A stain or blemish on reputation. Something that mars or dirties your good name, whether through scandal, misdeed, or shame.
A marriage stain that can't be wiped clean by any excuse.
To feed a horse fresh grass or green fodder in the stable to keep it in good condition. It's an old farming term that survives in some dialects.
The groom soiled the horses with clover before the long ride.
A stain or mark of shame. Something that damages a person's honour or reputation.
The scandal left a soilure on his family's name that took years to fade.
The sun, especially when thinking about its power over human fate and fortune. Shakespeare and his contemporaries saw the sun as a force that shaped personality, destiny, and the course of events.
To sing using the sol-fa syllables (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti) as you read from written music. It was a teaching method—a way to learn a melody from a score before singing the actual words.
Let me hear if you can sol-fa this tune correctly.
A call to get someone's attention, like shouting hello across a distance. Used to hail a person or announce your presence.
Sola! Friend, wait—I have news for you.
To comfort someone or cheer them up, often through entertainment or distraction. Shakespeare sometimes uses it to mean simply having fun or taking pleasure in something.
She tried to solace him with music after his loss.
To join or fuse things together, making them one. In Shakespeare's time, it often meant to seal or bind something shut.
The two armies solder their forces to fight a common enemy.
To serve as a soldier for someone or something; to devote yourself to a cause or person's service.
I'm soldiered to this attempt — bound to see it through.
Armed fighters or military personnel trained for warfare.
We hope so, sir, After being properly trained soldiers, to return And find your grace in good health.
The only one; alone. In Shakespeare's time, it could mean simply 'unique' or 'single' without the modern emphasis on loneliness.
The sole heir to the throne.
Entirely; completely. Nothing but. Shakespeare uses it to mean something is one thing and one thing alone—no mixture, no exception.
If a man is solely a coward, he has no courage at all.
Formal and ceremonial, often with a weight of importance or seriousness. Can mean sad or melancholy, especially when describing emotion or mood.
A solemn feast, dressed in fine clothes and gravity.
A formal celebration or ceremony, especially a wedding feast. In Shakespeare's day, this means the whole festive occasion—music, feasting, revelry.
The solemnity of their wedding lasted three days.
To urge or push someone toward action. Often means to ask earnestly, to petition, or to plead with someone to do something.
She solicit Henry with her wondrous praise — she wins him over through flattery.
A romantic advance that's unwelcome or improper—the kind of flirtation or courting that crosses a line.
Her solicitation of the married nobleman scandalized the court.
The act of urging or pushing someone to do something. It's temptation or persuasion at work.
The witch's dark soliciting led him toward murder.
A small coin worth very little. In Shakespeare's time, it was used to mean the smallest denomination of money—something basically worthless.
He offered a solidare, but she laughed and turned away.
A legendary Athenian lawgiver from ancient Greece, famous for his wisdom and known for the saying that you can't call someone truly happy until their life is over. Shakespeare's audience would recognize the name as shorthand for serious political wisdom.
Alone on stage. Shakespeare's scripts use this Latin word (often abbreviated *sol.*) as a stage direction to show that a character is by themselves.
To loosen or break up soil; to till or work the ground. Shakespeare uses it rarely in this agricultural sense.
A particular one, though not named. Shakespeare uses it where we'd say "a certain" or "a particular." It can also mean "approximately" or "roughly"—as in "some few years" meaning "a few years or so."
"Some certain lord" = a lord we're not naming right now.
Somewhat; a bit. You'll hear this in older speech when a character wants to say something helps or matters, just not completely.
Crying with others who cry eases things somewhat.
In some other place; elsewhere. Used when the speaker gestures toward a direction or location that isn't specified.
To some degree; somewhat. A way of softening or qualifying what you're about to say—not absolute, but partway there.
Now and then; at certain times. Also used as an adjective meaning former or one-time—someone who was once in a role but no longer is.
A sometime friend would visit us on holidays.
A son-in-law — a man married to your daughter, or the husband of your child. Shakespeare often uses it this way when talking about family bonds that matter legally or politically.
He calls his daughter's husband his son, though no blood ties them.
A sound or noise, especially a musical one. Shakespeare uses it to mean the sound itself rather than what makes it.
A trumpet's sonance rang out before the king entered.
Singers who perform part-songs, especially the popular three-part songs that were common entertainment in Shakespeare's time. Often used as a mild insult for cheap or frivolous performers.
A fourteen-line poem, usually written to praise or express love for someone. Shakespeare made the form famous by writing 154 sonnets, many addressed to a mysterious fair young man and a dark-haired woman.
He wrote her a sonnet to win her heart.
The act of writing sonnets. A poet devoted to sonneting spends time composing these fourteen-line love poems, often with great care over rhythm and rhyme.
He abandoned sonneting for drama, finding more freedom in the stage.
A rustic oath calling on God or the saints. It's a diminished, affectionate form of 'saint,' used in oaths the way someone might say 'by the saints!' today.
In the evening, or at a particular time of day. Shakespeare often uses it to mean roughly around sunset or a named hour—like saying "toward evening" or "by five o'clock."
"Soon at five o'clock" means around five in the evening.
Fastest or most quickly. If you want something done soonest, you want it done right away.
Send word soonest—the messenger rides at dawn.
A variant spelling of swoopstake. See swoopstake for the full definition.
Truth, or a solemn affirmation of truth. Often appears in the phrase "in good sooth" (truly, indeed). Also means flattery or honeyed words meant to charm or persuade.
"In good sooth, you wrong me" = "In truth, you're treating me unfairly."
To flatter or humor someone by agreeing with them or telling them what they want to hear. In Shakespeare's time, it often means to encourage someone's vanity or false hopes.
He soothes the king with praise, hoping for a reward.
Someone who says pleasant things to get on your good side, whether they're true or not. A flatterer.
The king surrounds himself with soothers who tell him he's wise and just.
A piece of cake or bread soaked in wine or another drink. In Shakespeare's time, people would dunk these in their cups the way we might dunk a biscuit in tea.
They'll soak him in malmsey wine and make a sop of him.
Someone who uses clever argument and wordplay to deceive or get out of trouble. A smooth talker who twists logic to their advantage.
Mixed with something inferior; corrupted or made impure. Shakespeare uses it to mean something genuine that's been tampered with or diluted.
Wine sophisticated with water loses its true strength.
The Shah of Persia — the Persian king. Shakespeare uses this as a title for the ruler of Persia, which was a major power in his time.
The Sophy commands vast armies across the eastern lands.
Severe or intense. Used to describe pain, illness, grief, or trouble that cuts deep.
A sore wound. Sore sick with grief.
A male deer in its third year of life. At this stage it's developing the antlers and size it'll have as a mature buck.
Badly or painfully. Something done sorely is done with real suffering or serious consequence.
He was sorely wounded in the battle.
Grief or deep sadness. In Shakespeare's time, people sometimes said "I am sorrow" the way we'd say "I'm sorry"—expressing regret or distress in the moment.
"I am sorrow for the pain I've caused you."
Twisted or wound up by sorrow. Something so marked by grief that it's physically distorted by it.
A sorrow-wreathen face, lined and creased by years of loss.
Full of grief or sadness. A person who is sorrowed carries deep sorrow with them.
Full of sadness or regret. Can mean distressing and painful, or describe something wretched and pitiful.
A sorry sight—one that brings sadness just to look at it.
A kind or type of something. Also means a person's rank or class, or the way something appears or happens.
"Officers of sorts" — people of various ranks.
A match or fit between things. When something has sortance with another, they suit each other or belong together.
A king's rage holds no sortance with mercy.
Paired or grouped with someone. Often used negatively—"ill sorted" means badly matched or in the wrong company.
Those two are ill sorted; they'll never get along.
A stupid or foolish person. Often used as an insult when someone acts like they have no sense.
You drunken sot — you've lost the keys again.
Foolish or senseless. The word carries a sense of dull-witted stubbornness, as if someone has drunk away their good sense.
Waiting forever without complaint isn't patience—it's just stupidity.
An exclamation of unclear meaning—possibly expressing surprise, doubt, or dismissal. It appears in Shakespeare's texts but scholars aren't certain what emotion it conveyed.
A person or individual—often used poetically to mean a human being or someone you care about. Also the essential nature or core of something: what makes it truly itself.
"Brevity is the soul of wit"—meaning conciseness captures the true heart of humor.
So terrifying it shakes you to your core. Something that strikes deep fear, not just into the body but into the very heart of who you are.
A soul-fearing ghost appears in the darkness.
Persons; individuals; human beings (often emphasizing their inner nature, spirit, or emotional essence).
By the force that binds souls and strengthens love
As a verb: to speak, announce, or proclaim something aloud. As an adjective: honest and loyal, or (of the voice) clear and strong. As an adverb: thoroughly or deeply. As a noun: a swoon or fainting fit.
"Thy beauty sounded" — your beauty was proclaimed and praised.
Making no noise, or so deep and mysterious that it can't be understood or measured. Shakespeare uses it for both silent things and for depths of feeling or mystery that lie beyond words.
A soundless grief that no one else can reach.
Bitter, harsh, or unpleasant to the taste or ear. Also means bad-tempered or sullen, especially when describing a person's expression.
A sour look crossed his face when he heard the news.
Having a sour, unhappy look. Someone with a dour expression on their face.
That sour-fac'd guard wouldn't crack a smile if his life depended on it.
In a harsh, mean-spirited way. With bitterness or cruelty.
He spoke sourly of his rival, wishing him every misfortune.
To dive or plunge downward suddenly. A hawk sousing on a rabbit from the sky.
The eagle soused down and seized the hare.
Pickled or preserved in brine. Shakespeare uses it for fish that's been soaked in salt water.
The Pacific Ocean. Shakespeare uses it as a symbol for vast, uncharted territory—a place of discovery and danger rolled into one.
A south sea of discovery: a journey into the unknown.
Toward or in the direction of the south. In Shakespeare's time, often used to describe regions, winds, or a general southerly course.
A southward journey would take you toward warmer lands.
Supreme in power, authority, or effectiveness. The word carries weight—it means the highest, most dominant, or most capable.
A sovereign remedy—the one cure that works when nothing else will.
In a supreme or highest manner. With complete authority or power.
She ruled sovereignly over all the lands.
The finest or most excellent version of something. In Shakespeare's time, it carried a royal or supreme quality—like calling something the very best of its kind.
A sovereign remedy would be the most powerful cure available.
To grab someone by the ears and pull them. A violent, humiliating move.
A cobbler—someone who mends shoes. Shakespeare uses it as a contemptuous nickname, like calling a dog a scrap or a nobody.
You're nothing but a sowter, fit only to patch old boots.
A period of time; a stretch or interval. When Shakespeare says a feast will happen "in the coming space," he means it'll happen after some time has passed.
The wedding will occur in the coming space—not today, but soon.
A children's game where one player throws a coin or token, and another tries to hit it or land their throw within a hand's width of it to win it.
To follow someone around obsequiously, the way a dog follows its master. When hearts are spaniel'd, they cling to you in a servile, fawning way.
A scornful insult for a wine merchant or bartender. The exact origin is unclear, but it was meant as a put-down.
Confined or limited within bounds. The span of something—its extent or reach—is fixed and cannot grow beyond.
My life is spanned by fate.
To hold back or refrain from doing something. In Shakespeare, it often means don't hesitate to use or give something freely—or conversely, to avoid or abstain from an action.
Spare no expense in preparing the feast.
At a distance; far away. Shakespeare uses it rarely, always paired with the idea of remoteness.
A hunting dog from the ancient city of Sparta, famous for speed and a sharp nose. Shakespeare's contemporaries knew them as symbols of fierce intensity.
The Spartan hounds dash across the moor, relentless in the hunt.
A disease in horses that causes swelling in the joints, usually the hock. It makes the animal lame and unfit for riding or work.
A horse with spavin was worthless to a soldier or traveler.
To remove the reproductive organs of an animal, usually a female. In Shakespeare's time, this was done to control breeding or alter an animal's behavior.
To declare or proclaim someone's character or quality. Also: to testify in someone's favor, or to call for action. In rare cases, to fight or exchange blows.
Her kindness speaks her a person of true virtue.
To say a great deal about someone or something; to speak at length in praise or criticism of a person. Can also mean to address or appeal to someone directly.
says or talks; expresses in words
Why does he say this To the one he hates?
To single something or someone out, to mark or treat them as distinct from others. To give special attention or importance to one thing above the rest.
He special'd her with a gift, showing she held a place no other had.
A legal document sealed and signed—usually for a promise to pay money. In Shakespeare's time, this kind of written contract carried special weight because it was formally sealed.
Particularly; in a special way. An older or regional form of 'specially'.
Eyes. Shakespeare uses this word the way we might say "peepers" — a bit playful, a bit clinical. It's the physical organ that lets you see.
He rubbed his spectacles wearily after reading all night.
The state of being watched by an audience. A public viewing or display in front of others.
A death drawn out for all to see—prolonged in spectatorship.
The power of sight or vision, or someone who watches and observes. Shakespeare often uses it to mean the act of looking itself—the capacity to see and understand what you're looking at.
When Othello says Desdemona has 'no speculation in those eyes,' he means she's lost the ability to see and comprehend.
Able to see or look at something. It's the quality of having sight or the power of vision.
Finished off or done for—often with a sense of ruin or death. When someone is sped, they're beyond help.
"I am hurt... I am sped" — meaning the speaker is mortally wounded and done for.
words spoken aloud; a formal address or lines of dialogue
If that works, then everything's fine. Come, sit down, everyone, and rehearse your lines. Pyramus, you start: after you speak your lines, go into that bush: and then everyone else, follow your cue.
Unable or unwilling to speak. Often describes someone shocked, struck dumb by emotion, or so overwhelmed that words fail.
He stood speechless when she said she was leaving.
Success or good fortune. In Shakespeare's time, people called on saints and gods to grant them speed—to help them prosper or achieve what they set out to do. The word can also mean luck or outcome, as in how things turned out.
"Good fortune be thy speed" — a wish for you to succeed.
An old spelling of speak. You might see this in very old printings where a letter got mixed up in the press.
To misread or get wrong. When you spell something backward, you twist its meaning into the opposite of what was meant.
Don't spell my words—I meant no harm by what I said.
Held under a spell; frozen in place by magic or enchantment. The word suggests someone stopped mid-action, unable to move or think freely.
The wizard's spell-stopp'd victims stood like statues in the garden.
To use something up or let it go—money, time, energy, words. To exhaust or consume entirely.
"All my fortune is spent" means you've used up everything you had.
Used up, gone, or exhausted. Could mean eaten (food gone bad), worn out (a person tired or starving), or simply passed (time gone by).
Stale bread that's spent is fit only for the rubbish.
To shut or lock something closed. An archaic form of 'spar', mostly seen in older texts.
The gates sperre up the city, trapping the soldiers inside.
The path a heavenly body travels in—the orbit of a planet or star. In Shakespeare's time, people believed each celestial body moved in its own crystalline sphere, which also produced musical harmony. Your eyes could also be thought of as having their own spheres.
The stars stay fixed in their spheres, burning eternally in their appointed paths.
Round or shaped like a ball. Shakespeare uses it to describe something curved and full, like a cheek puffed out.
Relating to the planets or their movements. Shakespeare uses this to describe something vast, cosmic, or ordered by the celestial realm.
Shining like a star or celestial body. Shakespeare uses it to describe eyes that gleam with a bright, otherworldly light.
A small taste or hint of something. A touch or trace that gives flavor to an experience.
A spice of danger made the adventure irresistible.
A fragrant nest or storehouse of spices. Shakespeare alludes to the mythical phoenix, which burned itself on a pyre of spices and was reborn from the ashes—so a spicery evokes both richness and transformation.
A wooden peg or tap that you pull out to let liquid flow from a barrel or cask. Shakespeare's people used these to pour ale and wine.
Pull the spigot and fill your cup from the barrel.
To destroy or waste. In Shakespeare, often used for seeds, potential, or life being lost or ruined.
The crop will spill if the drought continues.
Liquid that's been spilled and wasted. Wine, water, or ale poured out by accident or carelessness.
The drunk servant left spilth of wine across the tablecloth.
To flow or stream out in a thin, continuous line—like liquid pouring from a height. Shakespeare uses it to describe blood spilling in a way that's visible and dramatic.
A spider, especially one with long legs. Shakespeare uses it as a casual name for the creature itself, not a term of endearment.
The spinner crawled across the wall in the candlelight.
A person whose job is to spin thread or yarn from wool or flax. In Shakespeare's time, spinning was women's work, done at home or in workshops.
The peak or highest point of something, used in a figurative way. The topmost reach of ambition, achievement, or a journey.
He climbed to the spire of his success before the fall.
The vital force or energy that animates a person—what makes them alive and capable of thought and feeling. Shakespeare uses it for courage, mood, or the essence of who someone is.
"My spirits are all bound up"—I'm emotionally stuck, can't move forward.
Lively and energetic, often from being excited or emboldened. In Shakespeare's time, it could also mean literally infused with spirit or alcohol.
A spirited performance full of wit and vigor.
To move quickly or suddenly, as if by magic. Also means to carry someone away secretly or by force.
The fairy spirits away the sleeping child in the forest.
Supernatural beings, ghosts, or fairies; also the non-physical essence of a person or creature.
Goodbye, you lazy spirit; I'll be gone: Our queen and all our fairies will be here soon.
The clergy—priests and church officials. In Shakespeare's time, they held real power in both spiritual and worldly affairs.
To grow or sprout suddenly, the way a plant shoots up from the ground. Shakespeare uses it for any quick, forceful growth.
The seeds spirt into green shoots after the rain.
A hospital, typically one run by a church or charity for the poor and sick. In Shakespeare's time, these were often places of last resort for those with nowhere else to go.
A leper banished to the spital-house had no hope of return to decent society.
Malice or deliberate insult meant to wound or humiliate. It can mean an outrageous injury, or contemptuous defiance of someone else. The phrase "in spite of" means despite or notwithstanding.
He flourishes his blade in spite of me — to show contempt and provoke.
To castrate an animal, especially a dog or cat. The word comes from the same root as our modern 'spay.'
A sudden burst of emotion—anger, laughter, or desire—that takes over a person. Shakespeare believed the spleen was the physical seat of these wild feelings, the organ that made you act on impulse rather than reason.
A fit of spleen seized him, and he laughed until tears came.
Quick to anger, hot-headed, acting on sudden passion rather than thought. The spleen was thought to be the seat of rage and melancholy.
A thin piece of wood or metal. In Shakespeare's time, splints held broken bones in place during healing.
A knight's arm, bound tight with splints, mended slowly through the winter.
To bind up and heal, the way you'd mend a broken bone with splints. In Shakespeare, it means to repair or restore something broken—especially feelings or relationships.
Her anger, once shattered, was slowly splinter'd back together.
To damage or break apart, often used for a tongue or voice. Can also mean to cause a commotion or uproar.
His anger was so great it would split the very air with noise.
Plunder taken by force—goods, property, or captives seized in war or conquest. Also means destruction or ruin, especially widespread damage inflicted on a place or person.
The victorious army divided the spoils of war among themselves.
spoke to someone; addressed or talked with
I've heard about this, I must admit, And I was going to speak to Demetrius about it; But I got too caught up in my own business, And it slipped my mind.
Drunk, or full of liquid and soft like a sponge. Shakespeare uses it to describe someone soaked with drink.
His spongy officers — men too far gone in wine to stand straight.
A spoon was a common christening gift in Shakespeare's time, so to say someone "has no spoon" meant they were not worth the expense—you wouldn't even gift them silver. It's a dismissive way of saying someone is worthless or unwelcome.
Fun, amusement, or entertainment — anything from a game to a theatrical show to a practical joke. To 'make sport' means to have fun at someone's expense, or simply to enjoy yourself.
The servants made sport of the clown's antics.
Playful and flirtatious, done for fun rather than in earnest. Often used to describe teasing or lighthearted romantic banter.
Their sportful wrestling was really just an excuse to be close.
Playful and flirtatious in a sexual way. A character who's sportive is interested in romantic or physical fun rather than serious commitment.
The young nobles exchange sportive glances across the ballroom.
A mark or stain—literal or figurative. Can mean a flaw in someone's character or reputation, or an ornamental pattern embroidered onto fabric.
A single spot of dishonor can ruin a family's name.
Marked or stained by something that disgraces you. In Shakespeare, often used for moral blemishes—sins or wrongdoing that taint the soul.
A spotted soul carries the marks of its own guilt.
Lively and alert. A Welsh character's way of saying it in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
A worthless or insignificant person. Shakespeare uses it as an insult—calling someone small, weak, or beneath notice.
You think I fear that sprat? He's nothing to me.
To thrash or convulse, especially in the final moments of life or agony. The body twists and flails without control.
A spirit or ghost—an invisible being, often supernatural. Shakespeare uses it for both the immaterial part of a person and for actual specters.
A sprite appeared in the darkness, speaking in a voice no living throat could make.
Inhabited or possessed by a ghost or spirit. A place or person touched by supernatural presence.
The old castle was sprighted, full of restless souls.
Full of energy and liveliness. Animated and quick in spirit.
A sprightful young lover, quick to laugh and dance.
With energy and liveliness. It means someone is acting full of vigor and good humor.
The fool danced sprightfully across the stage, making the whole court laugh.
The work or role of a sprite—a quick, nimble spirit or fairy. It's an archaic word Shakespeare's editor had to guess at, since the original text is unclear.
Lively and full of energy. Cheerful and quick in spirit or movement.
A sprightly dance after dinner lifted everyone's mood.
The early beginning of something—a season, a day, a feeling. Shakespeare often uses it for the first shoot of a plant, or for spring as the season of new growth and love.
The spring of day breaks cold and grey.
A trap for catching birds, usually made with a noose or spring mechanism. Shakespeare uses it as a metaphor for any kind of trap or snare—a way of catching someone or something.
Love can be a springe that catches the unwary heart.
A disease that makes a horse lame, especially affecting the hind legs. The animal moves with a jerky, bouncing gait.
The old mare's springhalt made her unfit for riding.
Growing or coming up. Used to describe things that are budding, emerging, or beginning to flourish.
The springing flowers pushed through the winter snow.
A device worn on a rider's heel to urge a horse forward. Shakespeare uses it figuratively to mean any driving force or incentive—something that pushes you to act.
Ambition is the sharpest spur to power.
Rubbed raw or irritated by a spur. Used of a horse whose sides have been worn and bleeding from hard riding.
A spur-galled horse limps after a long journey.
To reject or push away with contempt, often with force. In Shakespeare's time, it meant to kick or thrust at someone as a sign of scorn.
He spurned her love and turned away in anger.
To waste something carelessly or throw it away on worthless things. You're not just spending money—you're spending it on nothing.
He squandered his inheritance on drink and gambling.
Scattered or disorganized, without pattern or plan. Squandering can also mean wasteful or reckless.
He threw his money away in squandering fashion, with no thought for tomorrow.
A measure or standard of proper behavior and balance. To keep your square is to stay true to your principles and act fairly. The word comes from carpentry, where a square ensures right angles and true proportions.
I have not kept my square — I've strayed from what's right.
Someone who picks fights or starts quarrels. A brawler or troublemaker looking for a confrontation.
He's known as a squarer—always ready to throw a punch at the tavern.
A soft, unripe pea-pod. Shakespeare uses it as an insult—a way of calling someone worthless or immature, like dismissing them as barely developed.
A measuring tool—what we'd call a square or ruler. Used to check that angles are right and measurements are true.
They measured the wood four feet by the squier before cutting.
To make someone's eyes narrow or screw up. The word appears only once in Shakespeare's plays, making it rare even by his standards.
To look at something with your eyes narrowed or half-shut, as if straining to see. A squint, really.
He squiny'd at the letter, trying to make out the faded words.
A country gentleman of some standing, ranking below a knight. In Shakespeare's time, also a personal attendant or young man of gentle birth.
Behaving like a personal attendant or servant. Dutiful and subservient in manner.
He fawned over the nobleman in a squire-like way, always ready to fetch and carry.
A small dog, especially one kept as a pet or lapdog. Shakespeare uses this as a term of endearment or insult depending on context.
Steady and firm. Not wavering or changing.
A captain with a stable bearing commands respect.
Steadiness and loyalty. The quality of staying true to someone or something over time.
He proved his stableness by standing by her through every hardship.
To set up or create something solid and permanent. An old form of 'establish' that appears once in the plays.
The king seeks to stablish his rule across the kingdom.
A steady job or way of making a living. Once you had a settled occupation, you were stable and secure.
The shaft of a lance or spear. In Shakespeare's time, breaking a staff in combat meant clashing in a joust or duel. The word also meant a verse or stanza in a poem.
A knight's staff shattered against his opponent's shield.
A raised platform where actors perform. In Shakespeare's time, it was a simple wooden structure that jutted into the audience.
To hesitate or lose nerve. To falter in your resolve or confidence.
A soldier might stagger before charging into battle.
A dizzy, disoriented state—either from illness or shock. In Shakespeare's time, it could mean the actual disease that made cattle stumble, or describe any wild, unsteady behavior from confusion.
His mind reels with such staggers he can barely stand.
Calm and steady. Serious in manner, not easily ruffled or given to wild behavior.
A staid judge would not lose his temper in court.
As a noun: a mark of shame or disgrace that ruins someone's reputation. As a verb: to damage or dishonor—either by tainting someone's character, or by dimming or overshadowing something good.
A single betrayal can stain a lifetime of loyalty.
Marked by shame or dishonor. Once your reputation is stained, people remember it.
A stained name is hard to clean.
A post or target in a contest or struggle. Shakespeare often uses it metaphorically to mean the prize, the issue, or what you're risking in a conflict.
My reputation is at stake in this deal.
A person used or tricked by someone else — a dupe or a tool. Shakespeare sometimes uses it as an insult, playing on the sense of something worn out or cheapened by overuse.
He's tired of being his friend's stale, trotted out whenever money is needed.
To move quietly and carefully toward someone or something, the way a hunter creeps up on prey. Shakespeare uses it both literally (stalking animals) and figuratively (sneaking toward a goal).
A spy stalks through the castle corridors at night.
A horse used as cover by a hunter creeping up on birds or other game. The animal lets the hunter get close without spooking the prey.
He crouched behind the stalking-horse, bow drawn, waiting for the ducks to come within range.
To keep someone confined or under your watch. Shakespeare uses it rarely and often in contexts of secrecy or control—holding someone close, either physically or by keeping them occupied.
A word that appears in some printed versions of Shakespeare's plays as a textual variation or error. Different editions print different words where this one appears, reflecting uncertainty about what Shakespeare originally wrote.
A mark or impression that shows someone's character or quality. It can also mean a coin, or anything that bears an official mark.
His sword was death's stamp—it left its mark on everything it touched.
Loyal and steadfast. Someone or something that won't give way or break apart—like a ship that doesn't leak.
A stanch friend stays true even when trouble comes.
Impossible to satisfy or quench. A hunger, thirst, or appetite that can't be filled, no matter what you do.
His stanchless ambition meant no amount of wealth or power would ever be enough.
As a noun: a position or spot where someone takes up a stance to fight or hunt. As a verb: to remain still or stationary; to hold firm and resist; or simply to be in a state or condition (often used with adjectives).
The gods today stand friendly — they are favorably inclined toward us.
Support someone or something; take their side. Can also mean to remain loyal or keep your word when pressure is on.
I'll stand by you, no matter what they say.
A soldier who carries the flag or banner for the troops. Used as an insult to call someone weak or unfit — if you can't even stand upright, you're no good as a standard-bearer.
He's no standard — he stumbles and falls at every step.
As a noun: the fact of existing or being alive. As an adjective: still and unmoving, like stagnant water. Also used to describe something that has a solid base or support.
He's caught in standing water between childhood and adulthood—neither moving forward nor back.
remains in a particular condition, state, or position; is established or fixed
If true lovers have always been tested like this, It must be part of fate: So let's learn patience in our trials, Because this struggle is as common as love itself, Just as normal as thoughts, dreams, and sighs, Wishes and tears, poor fantasy's followers.
A small or inferior hawk. Shakespeare uses it as an insult, comparing a weak person to a bird that's not much of a hunter.
You cowardly staniel—you're no better than a second-rate bird.
A group of lines in a poem or song, set apart as a unit. Shakespeare's time knew the word in Italian form (stanza, stanze, stanzo), but the modern English spelling came later.
The basic material or substance of something—what it's made from or built on. Shakespeare uses it to mean the thread or fiber running through something, usually in a figurative sense.
The staple of her argument was fear.
To stand on end. Hair does this when you're terrified or shocked—think of how your hair bristles when you're frightened.
His hair did stare when he saw the ghost.
Complete and absolute. It intensifies whatever comes after it—stark mad means completely mad, stark naked means entirely naked.
A man driven stark mad by grief loses all reason.
In a stiff, rigid way. Without flexibility or natural movement.
He stood starkly upright, refusing to bend or relax his posture.
Destined by fate or the stars. In Shakespeare's time, people believed the heavens controlled human destiny—so what was written in the stars would come to pass.
A starr'd lover might meet their beloved by chance, as if the universe had written it.
A sudden impulse or jolt—a moment when you're thrown off balance. Often used in the phrase "by starts" to mean in fits and bursts, not smooth or steady.
She spoke in starts, pausing between thoughts as if gathering herself.
A person who has recently risen to wealth or power and acts arrogant about it. Shakespeare uses this to mock social climbers.
A hiding place where a hunted animal escapes — or figuratively, any sneaky excuse or way out of trouble.
When caught in a lie, he always has some starting-hole ready.
To jump or flinch in sudden fear or surprise. The word can mean either the action itself or the feeling of alarm that causes it.
The horse startled at the thunder and bolted.
To kill or damage with extreme cold. Shakespeare uses it for frost nipping plants, or for cold literally freezing the life out of someone.
The bitter wind starved the color from her face.
A contemptuous name for a poorly-dressed gentleman who couldn't afford to feed his servants properly. It mocks both the master's poverty and the neglect of his attendants.
A man who calls himself a gentleman but lets his boy go hungry—that's a starve-lackey.
Numbed or weakened by cold, hunger, or hardship. In Shakespeare, it often means both literally famished and figuratively wretched or pitiable.
A starved prisoner—thin, shivering, half-alive.
The condition or circumstances of something or someone. Also: a person's rank or social position, or the governing body and authority of a kingdom. Shakespeare uses it to mean everything from 'how things stand right now' to 'the majesty and power of a throne.'
The state of the kingdom was troubled, and only the king could restore order.
The way someone stands or holds their body. It signals rank, confidence, or character—a king stands differently than a servant.
His proud station showed he was no common man.
A politician or government official. Someone involved in running the state.
The old statist gave his counsel to the king.
A statue—a carved or cast figure, usually of stone or marble. Shakespeare's texts show this word spelled various ways depending on how many syllables the printer wanted.
A legal bond or contract that gives a creditor the right to seize a debtor's property, body, or land if the debt isn't paid. Shakespeare often uses it figuratively to mean a law or binding rule—especially beauty or love as an absolute power over someone.
Your beauty holds me by statute—I have no choice but to obey.
A woollen cap that English law required people to wear on Sundays and holy days, starting in 1571. It was a mark of ordinary respectability—wearing one meant you followed the rules.
A scholar in a statute-cap looked like any tradesman, not a wit.
The wooden rod or stick itself—the thing you hold. An old way of saying it, mostly seen in phrases like 'at the staves end,' meaning at the end of the rod.
As a noun: something that props you up or holds you in place—a support or anchor. As a verb: to hold someone back, delay them, or keep them from moving. Also to stand firm against something, or to wait for someone.
To remain in one place and continue with what you're doing while others leave or move on. In Shakespeare, it often means to wait for someone or keep attending to them.
He stays upon your will — he waits for you to tell him what to do.
To be useful or helpful to someone. To serve a purpose or do someone good.
Your advice has steadied me through difficult times.
Moving quietly or secretly, without being noticed. Think of time creeping up on you.
Moving or acting in secret, without being seen or heard. Shakespeare often uses it to describe sneaking around, stealing away, or doing something you don't want anyone to know about.
Time steals away your youth without you noticing.
As a noun: hardness, strength, or courage—often used like 'iron' to describe something unyielding or a person of firm resolve. As a verb: to engrave or imprint something deeply, as if carving it into metal or memory.
He steeled his heart against pity; her beauty was steeled into his mind forever.
Hardened or toughened someone's resolve, usually against emotion or mercy. Can also mean literally made of steel, or made emotionally callous.
She steeled herself against his pleas.
Hard and unyielding, like steel. Used literally for metal weapons or figuratively for a person's character or resolve—someone who won't bend or back down.
A steely gaze; steely determination in the face of danger.
A high mountain or ridge of steep terrain. Shakespeare uses it to mean a distant, imposing peak.
They gazed toward the steep, where snow crowned the highest ridge.
Extremely steep; falling almost straight down. Shakespeare uses it to describe cliffs, hills, and other drops that are nearly vertical.
A path down a steep-down cliff would make your head spin.
Hard to climb or get through, especially when talking about life's challenges. Shakespeare uses it to describe the steep, difficult path of aging.
The road to success is steepy, requiring effort at every step.
Fixed or hardened, like steel. Often describes a face that shows no emotion—unmoved by what's happening around it.
A face where all distress is stelled—showing nothing, feeling nothing.
The main timber that forms the front of a ship's bow. It's the central post that the ship's sides are built around.
The waves crashed against the stem as the vessel plunged forward.
A stepmother—your parent's new spouse who isn't your birth mother. The word carries some of the coldness that "step" does: a relationship by law, not blood.
The king's new wife became a step-dame to his children from his first marriage.
A vast, treeless plain—the kind found in Russia and Central Asia. Shakespeare's editors have debated whether he meant the actual landscape or was using it as a figure for the farthest point of exploration.
Genuine and of full value. When someone's word is sterling, it's trustworthy and worth what it claims to be.
If my word is sterling, you can rely on what I promise.
The rear end of a ship. In Shakespeare, it's also a metaphor for a position of control or command—the place where the captain steers.
He grips the stern of power, commanding the whole vessel.
The rear or stern section of a ship. Used to describe position — something at the sternage is toward the back of the vessel.
A large metal pot or cauldron used for cooking. In Shakespeare's time, a stew was often a communal cooking vessel, especially in kitchens and taverns.
Throw the vegetables into the stew and let them simmer.
To pierce or wound, either literally with a blade or figuratively with words that cut deep. Also means to lodge firmly in place, like an ornament attached to something, or to stand out sharply and brightly.
His careless words stuck her heart like a dagger.
The point where something holds firm and won't slip. Lady Macbeth uses it as a metaphor—tighten your courage until it locks in place and stays there.
Screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we'll not fail.
Acting like someone who stands between opposing sides to keep order or enforce rules. In battle, it describes a neutral force that parts combatants or prevents chaos.
Solid and unyielding; rigid and strong. Used for things made to be durable—like a wooden bat or club.
Done with stubborn determination. The kind of thing someone pushes through no matter what, without bending or backing down.
A stiff-borne grudge that won't soften with time.
With firm strength or steadiness. In Shakespeare, it often means to hold up or support someone with solid, unflinching resolve.
Hold me stiffly up so I don't fall.
Someone marked by nature with a visible defect or deformity. In Shakespeare's time, such a mark was seen as a sign of unworthiness or shame.
A person born with a twisted limb might be called a stigmatic by cruel observers.
As an adjective: quiet, silent, or motionless. As an adverb: always, constantly, or continuously. Shakespeare uses "still" far more often as an adverb meaning "all the time" or "even now."
"You'll still be too forward" = you'll always be too eager.
Piercing or penetrating—likely meant to describe air that cuts through or seems to look into things. The text is uncertain here; editors have proposed several readings.
A complete stop or deadlock. When nothing moves forward and everything freezes in place.
The battle reached a still-stand, neither army able to advance.
A vessel or apparatus used to distill liquids — like an alembic or still. Used for extracting essences, perfumes, or other concentrated substances through heat.
The apothecary heated his stillitory to draw out the rose oil.
Quiet, often with a sense of calm composure or restraint. In Shakespeare, it can mean both the absence of sound and a composed, dignified manner—staying quiet and composed rather than making a fuss.
She kept a modest stillness, listening more than speaking.
In a soft, quiet way. The word carries a sense of gentle stillness.
The music played stilly through the empty hall.
Sexual desire or lust. The word carries a sharp, almost painful quality—desire as something that pricks and agitates you.
He felt the sting of wanting her, unbidden and urgent.
To stop or come to an end. In Shakespeare, it often means to make something stop or to pause.
Commotion or activity, especially when things are happening fast around you. Can also mean something emotional brewing inside—worry, excitement, agitation.
The kingdom was full of stir as rumors spread.
A blacksmith's forge or anvil — the hot, grimy workplace where a smith shapes metal. The word carries the sooty, industrial feeling of fire and hard work.
Something filthy and rough, like a blacksmith's forge.
Shaped or hammered into form, like metal on an anvil. A poetic way to say something was made or crafted with force and skill.
A sword stithied in the hottest fire burns brightest.
A stabbing thrust with a sword in fencing. It's a direct forward jab, as opposed to a cutting blow.
He advanced with a stoccado, aiming for his opponent's chest.
A dull, wooden person; a blockhead. Also used as an insult for someone lifeless or stupid.
He called his rival a stock for failing to understand the simplest joke.
Punished by being locked in the stocks — a wooden frame in the town square where offenders were held for public humiliation. The phrase carries shame and public disgrace.
Dried codfish, sold as a cheap food. The phrase "make a stockfish of" someone means to beat them—a brutal reference to how the fish was pounded before cooking. People used the word as an insult for someone skinny or worthless.
You look like a stockfish—all bones and no sense.
Dull and unfeeling, like a block of wood. Someone who shows no emotion or response to what's happening around them.
He stood there stockish while his friend wept—not a flicker of sympathy.
Someone who endures hardship without complaint and shows little emotion. In Shakespeare's time, it often meant someone stern or severe in manner.
He bore the loss like a stoic, revealing nothing of his grief.
A long robe or garment, often worn as a sign of rank or virtue. In Shakespeare's time, it could suggest dignity or moral character.
She wore her white stole as a symbol of her purity.
Done quietly or in secret, so no one notices. A stolen glance is a quick look you take when you think nobody's watching.
A stolen kiss in the garden—quick, hidden, delicious.
Your inclination or willingness to do something. Also: anger or resentment, or the proud, bold spirit that makes you stand your ground.
"I have no stomach for this fight" — I'm not willing or eager to do it.
A decorative panel of fabric or jeweled material worn over a woman's chest and belly. It was a status symbol—the richer the embroidery or gems, the wealthier the wearer.
She pinned her finest stomacher to her dress for the court performance.
A hard, cold substance symbolizing heartlessness or lack of feeling. Stone was the opposite of human warmth—calling someone a stone meant they felt nothing.
When she heard the news without flinching, he thought she must be made of stone.
A crossbow that fires stones instead of arrows. It was used for hunting small game and birds without wasting metal projectiles.
He loaded a stone into his stone-bow and took aim at the pigeon.
To shock or confuse someone so deeply they're left dazed. It's the root of our word "astonish"—the shock that stops you cold.
Like a night-wanderer whose lamp suddenly goes dark, left bewildered and afraid.
To dive sharply downward, like a hawk plunging from the sky to strike prey. By extension: to bow or bend, or to humble yourself and give in.
The eagle stoops to snatch the chicken from the field.
A hole or opening in a wind instrument (like a pipe) that you cover or uncover to change the pitch. Also used for the pegs on a stringed instrument that shorten the strings. More broadly, anything that closes or blocks an opening.
A pipe with an easy stop — one simple hole to control.
To shut something in or block it up. To confine or prevent escape.
A supply or stock of something kept for future use, like provisions in a storehouse. In Shakespeare, often used for abundance or wealth laid up and waiting—something precious you have in reserve.
How many sons of mine hast thou in store? (waiting for me, saved up)
Filled up, packed full, or kept in reserve. Something stored is loaded with what it contains—whether treasures hoarded away, a heart brimming with emotion, or a table laden with food.
A cup stored unto the brim.
To rush in with force or violence; to invade or shake something up dramatically. Often used for emotional or physical upheaval.
He storms into her carefully ordered life and changes everything.
A subject of gossip or mockery. If you're someone's story, people are laughing at you or talking about your misdeeds.
Don't make me the butt of your jokes.
A basin or container, usually holding about two quarts. In Shakespeare's time, you'd find one at church doors filled with holy water for worshippers to dip their fingers in.
Brave and determined, able to stand firm under pressure. Also means physically strong or solid.
A stout heart won't break under hardship.
With courage and firm resolve. Boldly, without backing down.
Stubborn pride. A refusal to back down or admit you're wrong, rooted in wounded vanity or sheer mulishness.
His stoutness kept him from apologizing, even when he knew he'd caused harm.
Dried stalks and leaves left over after grain is harvested. Farmers use it as feed for cattle and horses.
The farm animals ate stover through the winter.
Right away, without delay. In Shakespeare's time, this word meant the same as "straightway" — something happens at once, no waiting.
"I'll bring thee word straight" means I'll bring you the news immediately.
Standing upright or rigid. Used to describe a posture or the way something is positioned.
A powerful feeling or impulse of the mind—joy, sorrow, love, honor. Also: a melodic phrase or tune. Sometimes: a person's natural character or family line.
Love overwhelms the heart with unbefitting strains of longing.
Forced or unnatural—the opposite of flowing freely. Can also mean purified or refined, as if strained through a filter.
Mercy that comes naturally is better than mercy forced upon someone.
Narrow or tight. Can also mean strict and demanding, or stingy with money and affection.
A strait lane between two houses; a strait budget that allows no extra spending.
In difficulty or tight circumstances. When you're straited, you're hemmed in—stuck for options or resources.
He was straited for time before the deadline.
In a strict or rigorous way. With firm rules, no exceptions.
The king commanded that all must straitly obey his orders.
Strict discipline or severity. A rigid, unyielding way of doing things.
The headmaster ruled with such straitness that no student dared speak out of turn.
Foreign, unfamiliar, or new. Can mean belonging to someone else, or not yet known or experienced. Sometimes carries a sense of being distant or reserved — as if you don't quite know someone, or they don't quite know you.
She wore strange garments from across the sea.
Won through dubious means, or taken from elsewhere—wealth or status that feels unearned or ill-gotten. The word suggests something gained at a distance, whether by distance of place or distance of morality.
He flaunted his strange-achieved fortune, knowing full well how he'd obtained it.
Odd or unusual in character. The kind of moment or period that feels peculiar, unlike ordinary times.
In a way that feels distant or unfamiliar—as though you're keeping someone at arm's length. It can also mean unusually or remarkably.
He spoke strangely to her, as if they were mere acquaintances.
The act of keeping your distance from someone or holding back emotion. A coolness or withdrawal you put on deliberately.
She hides her feelings behind a wall of strangeness.
Unusual or surprising. Also: foreign, unfamiliar, or from outside your community. Can mean treated as an outsider or unwelcome.
The stranger paths of banishment felt cold and unwelcoming.
Cut off or separated from someone or something. Made to feel like an outsider.
He felt strangered from his own family after years away.
To suppress or cut off completely. Used figuratively for abandoning a connection or identity—like squeezing the life out of a relationship.
I will strangle our acquaintance (I'll pretend we never knew each other).
A torture method where someone is hoisted by the arms and then dropped suddenly, jerking the body and dislocating joints. It was used in the 16th and 17th centuries as a cruel punishment.
The prisoner feared the strappado more than any other torture the guards might inflict.
A violent or brutal deed, especially one involving treachery or destruction. Shakespeare uses it for acts of war and cruelty.
The general's stratagem left the village in ruins.
Worthless or trivial. Something made of straw is flimsy and easily destroyed, so the word came to mean anything shallow or insignificant.
A straw oath is one you don't really mean.
Made of straw, or looking pale and thin like straw. Used to describe something weak, insubstantial, or drained of color.
His strawy beard had lost all its golden shine.
An animal wandering loose or lost, or more broadly any vagrant or wanderer. Sometimes used for a scattered group of stragglers.
The soldiers pursued the scattered stragglers across the field.
To go past a limit or boundary. Often used of someone who has crossed a line they shouldn't have.
He strayed from the path his father laid out for him.
Wandering or unfocused. A straying eye moves restlessly around instead of settling on one thing.
Physical power or force. Also: military force or armed troops. Or: the full force and authority behind something—when you act in someone's strength, you act with their power backing you.
He conquered the seven walled towns by the strength of his army.
To extend or spread something as far as it will go. Can mean to open wide, to strain something to its limit, or to make something last longer than usual.
We stretched our resources to help our friends in need.
Loud-mouthed or crude in speech. Someone who talks too freely or coarsely, without restraint.
A stretch-mouthed fool who'd blab secrets to anyone at the tavern.
Forced or strained beyond what feels natural. It's the opposite of easy or genuine—like something that doesn't quite fit.
A stretched verse that's hard to read aloud, or a forced smile that doesn't reach the eyes.
To scatter or spread things across a surface or path. In Shakespeare's time, people scattered rushes on floors or flowers in front of important people as a sign of honor and welcome.
Success was strewn before the hero's path.
Flowers scattered on a grave as a mark of respect. A way to honor the dead with beauty.
The mourners brought strewings of roses and rosemary to lay upon her tomb.
Tight, close, or drawn taut. Also: severe or harsh, or confined within narrow limits. Shakespeare uses it for physical closeness, moral rigidity, and the unyielding nature of fate.
A strict embrace held her without mercy.
Rigid discipline or severity. When someone or something enforces strict rules with no flexibility.
The king ruled with such stricture that no one dared speak out of turn.
To cross over or go beyond a boundary. In Shakespeare, it often means to overstep what's allowed or proper.
To stride the law is to break it.
Hard work or effort to achieve something. Shakespeare sometimes uses it to mean the competitive drive to outdo others or show off your skill.
A painter's strife to capture the beauty of a face.
To hit, blast, or destroy—often with a sense of sudden force or divine judgment. Shakespeare uses it for physical blows, tapping casks open, starting up music, or fighting a battle.
The plague struck the city like a curse from heaven.
To cross something out or erase it. In Shakespeare's time, this often means to wipe away a record or blot out a memory—to make something as if it never existed.
Strike off his name from the list of the living.
The core fibers or inner workings of something vital—especially the heart, which Shakespeare imagines as having strings that can be plucked or pulled. Used for the deepest, most tender part of a person.
His heartstrings were touched by her sorrow.
A blow or hit. In Shakespeare, often the stroke of a clock's hammer, or the clash of weapons in battle.
The clock's stroke rang midnight as the armies clashed.
The shore or beach where the sea meets the land. An old-fashioned word for what we'd call a strand.
Firm and unwavering in conviction or belief. Shakespeare often uses it to describe how deeply someone holds an opinion or how certain they are about something.
Surrounded and under heavy attack. A place or person pressed hard by enemies closing in.
Troy, strong-besieged, finally fell after years of war.
Sealed by a serious, binding promise or obligation. When you swear a strong-bonded oath, you're making a vow that carries real weight and consequence.
A strong-bonded oath cannot be broken without shame.
Close-fitting breeches or trousers. The word appears in some early texts, though editors have sometimes changed it to similar forms like 'trossers' or 'troussers'.
To scatter or spread things loosely over a surface. An older spelling of 'strew.'
Strow flowers across the bride's path.
Destroyed; ruined or torn apart. An archaic or poetic form of the word we use today.
The storm stroyed the village in a single night.
Hit, wounded, or affected by something. Shakespeare uses it to describe someone or something damaged or changed by harm—like a bird that's been shot, or a person worn down by age.
A struck fowl cannot fly; an old man struck by time moves slowly.
Fitted with strings. You'd use this for a musical instrument that's ready to play, or anything else set up with cords or wires.
A well-strung lute makes music; a broken one makes only complaints.
Stiff and unyielding, whether about bodies, materials, or temperament. Can also mean rough or harsh.
Stubborn knees that won't bend, or a stubborn bear—something that won't give way.
A rough, harsh, or coarse quality — whether in texture, sound, or manner. In Shakespeare's time, it could describe anything abrasive or unpolished.
A thrust or lunge with a sword or pointed weapon. A quick jab meant to wound.
He landed a stuck right through the guard.
Carefully prepared or practiced, especially for a performance. Also means deliberately chosen or designed—done with thought rather than by accident.
A studied bow—one he'd rehearsed—rather than a genuine greeting.
Devoted to careful, thoughtful work. Showing that you put real effort and attention into something.
A studious gardener tends every plant with intention.
With close attention and deliberate care. You're focused on doing something well and thoroughly.
He studiously avoided looking at her during the meeting.
Hard work and effort spent learning or mastering something. In a play, it can mean the effort an actor puts into learning and perfecting their role.
The substance or essence of something, often used for immaterial things like conscience, thoughts, or character. When Shakespeare says someone is 'full of heavenly stuff,' he means they're made of heavenly qualities.
You are full of heavenly stuff. (meaning: you have a heavenly nature)
Full, usually from eating a lot. Can also mean crammed with something, or congested from a cold.
Something that trips you up or makes you lose your footing—literally or figuratively. It gets in the way and throws you off balance.
A stumbling block in the path made the journey harder.
Sexual assault or rape. A Latin word Shakespeare uses when he needs the weight of that language for a grave crime.
To shut someone up or confine them, like pigs in a pen. A harsh way of saying someone is trapped or imprisoned.
They sty the prisoners in that tower, dark and cramped.
Dark and gloomy, like the mythical underworld. The Styx was the river souls crossed after death, so anything Stygian carries that sense of shadow and death.
A deep, Stygian darkness filled the tomb.
A title or form of address. In Shakespeare's time, how you addressed someone—king, lord, lady—mattered deeply and was part of their style.
How should I address a countess? What style fits her rank?
Engaged to be married for a second time. In Shakespeare's world, this could mean either a new betrothal after the first spouse died, or (more scandalously) a second promise made before the first marriage was finished.
To bring someone under control or make them answerable for wrongdoing. To subject someone to justice or punishment.
His crime subdues him to the law's judgment.
Brought under control or made obedient. Forced to submit to someone else's power or will.
A face subdued to shame—unable to hide embarrassment.
The act of conquering or bringing someone under control. In Shakespeare's time, it often meant military victory or the claiming of territory.
The king's subduement of the rebel forces secured his throne.
A person under a ruler's authority, or more broadly, any person or thing that exists independently. Shakespeare uses it for people loyal to a king, creatures or objects of attention, or even abstract things like thoughts.
The king's subjects obeyed his law.
An admission of guilt or wrongdoing. When you submit to judgment, you're owning up to what you did.
To put yourself in the path of something difficult or dangerous. To expose yourself to risk or hardship.
He submits himself to the perilous night ahead.
To trick or bribe someone into doing something wrong—especially lying under oath or making a false accusation. It's corruption by persuasion.
You paid off the goldsmith to have me arrested on fake charges.
The act of bribing or persuading someone to commit a crime or act of wrongdoing. It's the crime of corruption itself — getting someone else to do your dirty work.
Paying a witness to lie in court is subornation.
To sign your name to something, or to agree to it. Can also mean to admit you're wrong or to give in.
I will subscribe my name to the letter.
To commit to something, or vouch for someone else. You might sign your name to show you agree, or admit that something is true.
I subscribe to this plan means I'm saying yes to it, fully.
Agreement to obey or follow someone. In Shakespeare's time, it meant accepting another person's authority or terms.
The rebels demanded the king's subscription to their demands before laying down arms.
The real, solid thing itself—as opposed to mere appearance or shadow. In Shakespeare, it often means a physical body or form, or sometimes wealth and property.
A ghost is shadow; a living person is substance.
A person who stands in for someone else, or does their job in their absence. Often used in the phrase "by substitute," meaning through a representative rather than in person.
The king sent his general by substitute to lead the troops.
Put someone in your place to lead or command. To hand over your authority to another person.
The act of taking someone's place or standing in for them. In Shakespeare's time, a substitution could mean a deputy or replacement—someone authorized to act on your behalf.
If the king sends a substitution to rule while he's away, that person has his full power.
A twisted form of the word 'detractor'—someone who tears down or disparages. Shakespeare uses it as a playful, contemptuous term for a critic or slanderer.
Crafty or cunning in a hard-to-spot way. Also used for something that works quietly—almost sneakily—to affect you (like a drink that hits you before you notice).
The poison had a subtle way of creeping through his veins without warning.
A fancy trick or illusion—something made to dazzle the eye rather than nourish. In Shakespeare's time, cooks created elaborate pastry sculptures as table decorations, and the word came to mean any clever deception designed to impress.
The magician's subtleties fooled the crowd, but they had no real substance.
The outlying areas on the edge of a city. In Shakespeare's London, suburbs were known as places where women of loose reputation lived, outside the law's reach.
To come after in time or sequence. Also: to inherit or take over something passed down from someone else.
After summer's warmth, barren winter succeeds.
The outcome of something—what happens as a result. It can be good or bad; Shakespeare uses it for any fortune that follows an action or event, not just triumph.
"What is the success?" means "What came of it?" or "How did it turn out?"
One after another in sequence, or with success. Shakespeare uses it to mean things following in order or happening as intended.
In a way that looks promising or likely to work out. It describes something that appears to be going well or heading toward a good outcome.
The plan moved successfully forward until the storm hit.
A line of people who come after one another—heirs, descendants, or those who inherit a position or title. Also used for the future itself, or the act of following on from something that came before.
The king worried about his succession—who would rule after him.
Following in line or order; passing from one person to the next. In Shakespeare's time, it often describes an heir or title that will come to someone after the current holder dies.
The eldest son held the successive title to the throne.
By the right of inheritance or succession—the legal claim that passes from one person to the next in a family line.
A child or descendant — someone who comes after you in the family line. In Shakespeare's time, this often meant an heir to a title or estate.
The king worried his successor would squander the crown's wealth.
That kind of thing; a person or creature of that sort. Often used to deny or dismiss someone as not being what they claim.
She's no such lady—just a merchant's daughter.
Happening without warning or preparation. Also used for swift action, or for someone rash and impulsive—acting without thinking first.
"Arm yourself for the sudden crisis" means be ready for trouble that comes without notice.
Right away, at once, without delay. Sometimes also means without warning or planning—catching someone off guard.
He desires you to come suddenly to the court.
To bring a legal claim against someone in court. Shakespeare also plays on the older sense of the word—to beg or plead—blurring the formal and the desperate.
To endure something painful or unwanted without resisting. Also: to allow something to happen without stopping it, or to sustain damage or loss.
A person who suffers wrongs accepts them without fighting back.
Permission or allowance, often by ignoring wrongdoing rather than actively consenting. Can also mean endurance, patience, or the pain and distress someone bears.
The king allowed the theft by his sufferance—he saw it but did nothing.
To be enough; to satisfy someone's need or desire. When something suffices, it fills what's wanted.
I won't eat until he's satisfied with what we've prepared.
Capable and qualified for a job or role. In money matters, it can mean having enough wealth or resources to cover your debts.
A sufficient man has the skill and character to do what's asked of him.
To choke or smother someone, cutting off their breath. In Shakespeare's time, it could mean literally strangling or smothering, or wishing death by suffocation on an enemy.
A curse wishing someone dead by choking or strangulation.
To prompt or put an idea into someone's mind. In Shakespeare, it often means to tempt or lead someone toward doing something wrong.
The devil suggests him toward sin.
A whisper or prompting toward wrongdoing—temptation. In Shakespeare's time, suggestion often meant the devil's work: an evil impulse planted in your mind by someone else, or by your own weakness.
The villain's suggestion led the prince toward treason.
Formal attendance at a ruler's court, which a person of rank was expected to give. Also: a set of clothes, or any outer appearance or manner you put on.
A nobleman out of suit with the king had lost his place at court.
Dressed or clothed in something. Often used figuratively to mean equipped or prepared for a role or situation.
He was suited in armor for battle.
Gloomy, dark, and heavy with sadness. Often describes a mood that feels stuck and won't lift, or a look that's cold and withdrawn.
A sullen sky hung over the castle, matching the prince's dark mood.
A fit of sulking or moody silence. You're in a bad mood and making sure everyone knows it by withdrawing.
He sat alone in the corner, wrapped in the sullens, refusing to speak to anyone.
To damage or tarnish something—its purity, beauty, or good name. Once sullied, it loses its shine.
A lie would sully her spotless reputation.
Lightning, especially the bright flash that streaks across the sky. Shakespeare uses sulphur because lightning was thought to contain sulphur, which burns with a yellow-blue flame.
The god hurled his sulphurous bolt down at the mortal who dared challenge him.
The whole amount or total. When Shakespeare says "the sum," he means the complete picture or the bottom line—everything added together.
Tell me the sum of what happened while I was away.
Too large or complex to count or measure. Beyond what any arithmetic can add up.
The sumless debts of a spendthrift nobleman.
Used as an adjective or possessive to mean pleasant, cheerful, or lighthearted. Summer carried the feel-good weight of warmth and ease.
summer news = good tidings, the kind that lifts your spirits
A small house or cottage in the countryside where people go to spend the summer months. It's a retreat from the city.
The family packed up their London home and headed to the summer-house in the country.
Fleeting and temporary, like the season itself. Something that won't last.
Her summer-seeming love faded when he left the city.
To keep or pasture an animal through the summer months. Often used of horses or cattle left to graze in seasonal pastures.
The lord summered his horses in the northern meadows before the winter came.
To call on someone to give up or surrender, usually by force or authority. Often used in a military or legal context—ordering an enemy or accused person to yield.
The general summoned the castle to surrender or face siege.
An official who brought people to church court to answer charges. In Shakespeare's time, summoners had a reputation for corruption and abuse—they were often figures of fear and mockery.
A horse used to carry baggage and supplies on a journey. Figuratively, someone treated as a workhorse—a person forced to do all the hard, unglamorous labor.
You've made me your sumpter, hauling your burdens while you ride ahead.
The sun marks the passage of days. "From sun to sun" means from one day to the next, or the stretch of time between sunrise and sunset. Living "in the sun" suggests a carefree, open existence.
Dark-skinned or weathered in appearance — a polite way of saying someone isn't conventionally beautiful. In Shakespeare's time, pale skin was a status symbol, so a sunburnt complexion marked you as someone who worked outdoors.
People dressed in their best clothes, as they would be on a Sunday going to church. A way of saying someone looks formal or fancy.
The merchants came out in their Sunday — all silk and pressed linen.
To feed or nourish. In Shakespeare, often used for small or meager amounts of food.
A flea could sup on that tiny drop of blood.
A prefix that means excessively or too much. Shakespeare uses it to intensify adjectives and verbs — super-dainty means overly fussy, super-praise means to praise too lavishly.
Fussy and hard to please to an extreme degree. Someone who fusses over tiny details and is difficult to satisfy.
More than you need or can reasonably use. Shakespeare uses it for excessive indulgence and wasteful plenty—people gorging themselves on luxuries they don't deserve.
A superfluous feast while the town starves.
An excess of something—more than enough, more than is useful or needed. Shakespeare uses it to mean a wasteful or overwhelming abundance.
The king's superflux of gold could feed the kingdom for a decade.
Heavenly or divine. Belonging to the sky or the realm of the gods rather than the earthly world.
The supernal light broke through the clouds like a sign from above.
The address written on the outside of a letter — where it says who it's for and where they live. Shakespeare's people wrote these by hand on the folded paper itself.
The letter bore his name in careful superscript, ready for the messenger.
Too eager to please or help; so keen to serve that it becomes annoying or presumptuous. Someone who fusses and interferes beyond what's actually needed or wanted.
To look over something carefully, or read through it. Shakespeare uses it to mean scanning or reviewing a text at first glance.
Let me read through that poem first.
A person who watches or observes. In Shakespeare's time, this was a rare usage—later texts preferred the word "supervision" instead.
Something that fills time or keeps you occupied for a brief moment. A small distraction or entertainment.
A song to kill five minutes—that's the suppli'ance.
Acting as a helper or reinforcement. Something that fills in a gap or supports what's already there.
Extra troops sent as a suppliant force to strengthen the weakened garrison.
As a noun: reinforcements or troops sent to help. As a verb: to send reinforcements, or to give someone what they need or want.
We have supplies to second our attempt — fresh soldiers to back us up.
A fresh stock or batch of something sent to keep supplies going. In Shakespeare's time, armies and garrisons depended on these regular deliveries to stay fed and equipped.
The fort awaited a supplyment of grain before winter set in.
To bear or put up with something difficult. To carry the weight of hardship without breaking.
I cannot support this grief much longer.
Bearable; something you can endure or put up with without breaking.
A few days of rain is supportable, but months of it would drive anyone mad.
The act of supporting or sustaining someone or something. In Shakespeare's time, it often meant the money or resources needed to keep someone alive or a commitment going.
A guess or belief you form about something, without being sure. What you think is probably true, even if you can't prove it.
By my supposal, he left the city three days ago.
To imagine or picture something in your mind. To assume something is true without proof—to make a guess based on what seems likely.
Suppose the worst has happened—what would you do then?
Imaginary or made-up; existing only in the mind. Can also mean pretended or fake—something meant to deceive.
A supposed danger that turns out to be real.
Your imagination or mental picture of something. When Shakespeare uses it this way, he's asking you to imagine a scene in your mind's eye.
Something assumed or guessed at, not yet known or proven. A theory you're testing, not a fact.
The ghost's existence rests on supposition—no one can be sure he's real.
The one in charge; the highest power or authority. Someone or something that rules over all others.
The king was the supreme—answerable to no one.
An extra name or title added to someone's own. Someone might earn a sur-addition through achievement or marriage.
He gained the sur-addition 'the Brave' after his victory.
Confidence or certainty. A promise or guarantee that something will happen or be true.
Give me surance that you'll return by dawn.
To stop or come to an end. Shakespeare uses it in formal or solemn moments when something halts completely—a heartbeat stopping, a journey interrupted, a life ending.
Safe, secure, or protected from harm. Also means reliable, certain, or firmly bound together—like a bond you can trust completely.
When she says she is sure of her husband, she means he will keep her safe.
A promise or guarantee that something will happen or be paid. Also: a person who takes responsibility for another's debt or behavior, like posting bail.
We need your surety that the debt will be paid by month's end.
A guess or suspicion—something you think might be true but don't know for certain. In Shakespeare, it often carries the weight of worry or doubt rather than idle wondering.
When she left without saying goodbye, he was lost in surmise about what he'd done wrong.
To confuse or stun someone so thoroughly they can't think clearly. The shock leaves them bewildered.
A sudden loud noise surprised his senses and left him reeling.
Worn out or exhausted, especially a horse that has been ridden too hard. To tire something completely by overuse.
A surrein'd horse can barely stand.
To look at something carefully or take it in with your eyes. It can mean simply to notice or observe, or to look over something with a particular purpose in mind.
He surveyed the battlefield, taking in every detail before deciding where to attack.
An official who manages a household or estate on behalf of its owner. In Shakespeare's time, this was a real job—someone trusted to oversee buildings, lands, and sometimes finances.
The Duke's surveyor would inspect the grounds each morning.
A feeling that something bad might happen or that someone might be dishonest. A hint of doubt or fear.
a hint of suspicion that all was not well
The state of being suspected or under doubt. Something that makes a person look guilty, whether or not they are.
He left town in strong suspicion—everyone thought he'd done it.
The act of breathing. Shakespeare uses this word to describe deep, heavy sighs—the kind that come from emotion or physical strain.
Her suspiration grew louder as she climbed the tower stairs.
To breathe, or to draw breath. In Shakespeare, often used to suggest a deep or weary sigh rather than ordinary breathing.
The dying king suspires his last breath.
To hold up or support something so it stays in place. In Shakespeare, it often means to keep something from falling or to maintain its position.
The pillars sustain the weight of the roof.
Keeping someone or something alive or afloat. Can mean nourishing (food that sustains you) or literally holding up (like a garment that keeps you from sinking).
bread and sustaining ale
A merchant who followed armies and sold food, drink, and supplies to soldiers in camp. Think of a mobile shopkeeper for troops.
The sutler's tent was always crowded with soldiers buying ale and bread.
Sutton Coldfield, a town in Warwickshire. Shakespeare's text compresses the name into a single syllable.
A Latin phrase meaning 'to each person what they deserve.' Shakespeare uses it to express the idea that everyone should get what is rightfully theirs—whether reward or punishment.
A sailor given the lowest jobs on a ship—cleaning the decks, swabbing the floors. It was work for the greenest or least respected crew member.
A swabber on a merchant vessel might spend his day washing down the wooden decks.
Strips of cloth used to wrap up a newborn baby tightly. It was standard practice in Shakespeare's time to bundle infants this way.
A newborn lay in swaddling-clouts, snug and warm.
Having a belly that hangs down and sags. It's an insult aimed at someone overweight or flabby.
The old drunk was swag-bellied and wheezing up the stairs.
To boast or bully someone with aggressive talk and threats. A swagger also means to walk or move in a showy, arrogant way.
He tried to swagger his way through the tavern, but nobody was impressed.
A loud, aggressive person who throws their weight around and intimidates others. Often more talk and bluster than actual threat.
The swaggerer struts through town boasting of battles he never fought.
A young man, especially one courting or in love with a woman. In Shakespeare, often a romantic or lovesick suitor.
A swain pines for his lady while she ignores his letters.
To take back or abandon something you've said or promised. The word suggests choking down your own words.
He swallowed his vow to never return.
A water bird famous in folklore for singing beautifully just before it dies. Shakespeare uses it as a symbol of someone's final, finest moment—a last great performance.
He makes a swan-like end, singing gloriously as he departs.
Dark in color or complexion. Shakespeare uses it for skin that's deeply tanned or swarthy, and for things that are simply dark—like night itself.
The swart-complexion'd night fell over the stage.
A large chunk or lump of something. Shakespeare uses it to mean big, undigested hunks—like someone spouting memorized speeches in great clumsy blocks without understanding.
He recites whole pages of doctrine in great swarths, understanding nothing.
Dark-skinned or dark-complexioned. Shakespeare uses it to describe people from Africa and the Mediterranean world, often with an air of exoticism or otherness.
A braggart or bully—someone who talks big and throws their weight around. The word comes from the sound of swords clashing against shields, suggesting a loud show of force with more noise than substance.
A wide strip or band of something—often cloth or cut grass. In Shakespeare's time, it could mean the swaddling clothes wrapped around a newborn baby.
A baby in its swath, wrapped tight for warmth and safety.
Long strips of cloth wrapped tightly around a newborn to keep them warm and still. The cloth bundle itself is also called swathing-clothes.
A newborn lay in swathing-clothes, bound snug from neck to toe.
As a noun: power, control, or rule over something or someone. As a verb: to control, manage, or influence; to rule or govern. Also means to move or incline in a particular direction.
The king held sway over the kingdom; fear swayed his decisions.
Bent or sagging inward, especially along the spine or backbone. Often used to describe a horse's posture when its back has weakened or collapsed from age or hard use.
A swayed horse, worn from years of labor, could barely carry its rider.
To take an oath or make a solemn promise. Also, to bind someone else by oath—to make them swear to something.
He swore his loyalty to the king, but everyone knew he was lying.
To give up or renounce something by solemn oath. You swear out a practice or way of life when you commit yourself to abandoning it.
He swore out his old habits and became a new man.
A deadly plague that swept through England in Shakespeare's time. It killed fast and caused fever and perspiration. People called it 'the sweat' in terror.
Many died in the sweat that year.
Fragrant or perfumed. Also used to mean gracious, beloved, or dear—the kind of tenderness you'd use toward someone or something precious.
Sweet heaven, grant me patience.
A loving term for someone you care about—a way of speaking to your beloved or a close friend. Common in Shakespeare's time as a tender form of address.
Come here, sweetheart, and tell me what troubles you.
A term of affection, especially for a young woman. The "twenty" part is a playful compliment suggesting youth and beauty.
He calls her "sweet-and-twenty" to flatter her bloom of youth.
Soft and gentle—used especially of rain that falls mildly and pleasantly. It's the kind of rain that nourishes rather than batters.
Sweet-seasoned showers made the garden bloom.
Tempting in a gentle, pleasant way. Something that pulls you in through charm rather than force.
A sweet-suggesting voice that makes you want to trust her.
A sweet apple, or a term of endearment for someone you love. Shakespeare uses it as both.
Come here, my sweeting, and taste this apple.
Indulgence in pleasure or comfort—giving in to what you want because it feels good. In Shakespeare, often tinged with blame, as if the sweetness is a weakness.
He abandons his duty for the sweetness of idle days.
Puffed up or exaggerated. Often used to describe pride, vanity, or boastful language that's bigger than it deserves to be.
A swell'd boast sounds impressive until you see the person behind it.
Full of intense feeling—overflowing with emotion, pride, or rage. Can also mean grandiose or impressively building in scale.
A swelling heart full of rage; a swelling act that grows more magnificent.
Drenched in sweat. The word suggests both the heat that makes you sweat and the wet, uncomfortable feeling that comes with it.
A swelter'd soldier stumbles off the battlefield, his armor dripping.
To go off course or stray from the right path—literally or morally. To make a mistake or act wrongly.
He swerved from his duty when he lied to the king.
Quick to think or understand. Someone sharp with words or ideas.
A swift mind catches jokes others miss.
To drink or swallow eagerly and messily, often in large gulps. Shakespeare uses it both literally (guzzling drink or blood) and figuratively (something consumed or worn away).
The boar swills your warm blood like water.
To move through water by moving your arms and legs. Used both for deliberate swimming and for floating or drifting in water.
You have swam in a gondola.
To hit or beat someone hard, usually as punishment. A violent, forceful blow or series of blows.
He'll swinge you soundly if you cross him.
A blustering, rowdy person who picks fights and swaggers around causing trouble. The kind of guy who's all bluster and violence.
Those swinge-bucklers at the tavern were looking for a brawl.
Crude, vulgar, or disgusting—like a pig. Often used to describe language or behavior that's base and offensive.
A swinish jest would have made the whole room grimace.
Full speed; all-out effort. The phrase "switch and spurs" means to ride hard and fast, holding nothing back.
He rode off at switch and spurs to catch them before nightfall.
Saint Withold, a saint people called on for protection against nightmares and bad dreams. The name appears in different spellings across early editions of the plays.
Swiss soldiers, especially those hired as mercenary guards or bodyguards. In Shakespeare's time, Swiss troops were famous across Europe for their skill and loyalty.
The king's switzers stood at every door, their halberds gleaming.
Puffed up and grandiose—full of hot air. Often used to describe speech or writing that's overblown and self-important.
A swoln speech that says nothing true.
To faint or lose consciousness, usually from shock or overwhelming emotion. Shakespeare's text shows many spelling variations of this word across different printed editions.
All at once, without picking and choosing. Like sweeping up the whole pot in a card game instead of sorting through it.
A weapon, but also a symbol of power and authority—kings and rulers carry swords as signs of their rank. Swords were also used in swearing oaths because their cross-shaped hilts made them sacred.
The king gripped his sword as a reminder of the power he held.
An old fighting style using a short sword and shield, popular with common soldiers and street fighters. By Shakespeare's time, gentlemen had switched to the fancier rapier and dagger, so calling someone "sword and buckler" was an insult—it meant they fought like a ruffian.
That sword-and-buckler thug picked a fight in the alley.
A skilled swordsman—someone who fights with a blade, either as a profession or in earnest combat.
The two sworders clashed in the arena, each testing the other's mettle.
A man skilled in fighting with a sword. Shakespeare uses this form, not 'swordsman.'
Bound by oath or pledge. Can mean a close friend you've made a solemn vow to (a sworn brother), or someone committed to a way of life—like a confirmed, habitual wrongdoer.
A sworn enemy returns year after year; a sworn friend will stand with you through anything.
A fainting spell or moment of unconsciousness. When someone loses awareness suddenly, usually from shock, grief, or physical strain.
She fell into a swound when she heard the terrible news.
A mild oath calling on God's wounds—a common exclamation of surprise, frustration, or emphasis. It's a shortened form of "God's wounds" and was considered only mildly profane, though still colloquial.
Swounds, you've made a mess of the whole plan!
A single sound or unit of speech. In Shakespeare, sometimes used to mean the furthest extent or last detail of something — as in "to the last syllable of recorded time," meaning all the way to the very end.
She spoke each syllable with perfect clarity.
To match or correspond with something else. In Shakespeare, it often means things share the same nature or feeling—a storm mirrors the turmoil of the shipwrecked, a fire echoes human sorrow.
The tempest sympathizes with the chaos in the hearts of those aboard the ship.
Shared by everyone involved; felt or experienced together. When something is sympathized, it belongs to all parties equally.
An error that everyone in the room made together—a sympathized mistake.
A natural likeness or harmony between people—shared feelings, matching circumstances, or similar rank. When two things are in sympathy, they're alike in some essential way.
You are not young, no more am I—there's sympathy between us.
A formal gathering or assembly. In Shakespeare, usually means a council of gods or powerful beings meeting to decide something.
The gods held a synod to settle the fate of Troy.
A thick, sweet liquid made by boiling herbs or other ingredients—often used as medicine to soothe or help you sleep. Shakespeare's time saw syrups as serious remedies, not just pleasant tastes.
A drowsy syrup to ease a restless night.
