Shakespearean Glossary
William ShakespeareLet's face it, no matter how many times your
English teacher rambles on about how cool Shakespeare is, his stuff isn't too
easy to read. We're not talking about a few funny words, like in
Doctor Seuss - we're talking
Old English, which may as well be a different language. To help you get to the actual story behind those
baffling words, Kidzworld's put together a cheat sheet for reading Shakespeare. Check it out!
Shakespeare's Vocab A - Z
Alas
An exclamation of sadness or regret.
Barn
No, it's not the thing that cows live in. In Shakespeare's time this was a child.
Abate
This is a multi-purpose word meaning either to shorten, to throw down or to dull the edge of.
Aim
A guess.
Bob
This isn't just a dude's name, Shakespeare used it to mean to strike something, or to insult someone or to get something from someone by insulting them.
Century
One hundred of anything.
Coil
What we would now call turmoil or a disturbance.
Cross
A piece of money or a coin.
Dig-You-Good-Den
Literally this means "give you good evening" but it really just means goodnight.
Don
To put on.
Enseamed
Fat, gross and smelly. Not a nice thing to call your friends.
Fang
To bite something or to grab it with your teeth.
Forsooth
In truth, or in fact.
Forbode
Forbidden or not allowed.
Guard
A decoration or to decorate something.
For more words from Shakespeare, click here!
Related Stories:
William Shakespeare Biography
Sindy Helps Out on the Set of Romeo and Juliet
More Brain Bending Trivia!
Read more: Art Attack
