Home > Blossary: Shakespeare's Vocabulary
This is a great look at some of the words Shakespeare invented (or popularized) in his plays.

Category: Literature

20 Terms

Created by: Carissa

Number of Blossarys: 6

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While accused had been used as a verb in the past, Shakespeare was the first one to popularize it as a noun. Example: The accused will defend himself tomorrow.

Domain: Legal services; Category: General law

This adjective means that good fortune or success should follow. It is thought that Shakespeare received his inspiration from a Roman practice of fortune telling by looking at the path a bird had ...

Domain: Literature; Category: General literature

Besmirch is first seen in I Henry IV. It is still used today and means to damage or hurt someone's name or reputation.

Domain: Literature; Category: General literature

While the noun blanket had long been used, Shakespeare was the first to use it as a verb meaning: to cover.

Domain: Literature; Category: General literature

This is another word which was used before as a noun, but Shakespeare coined as a verb. It was first seen in Timon of Athens.

Domain: Literature; Category: General literature

Describing animals as cold-blooded was not Shakespeare's intent. Rather, in Kind John he first used to term to mean someone who was behaving in a heartless manner.

Domain: Literature; Category: General literature

In an example of poetic license, Shakespeare was the first to use deafening to mean something that was very loud, yet did not actually make a person deaf. It was first seen in II Henry IV.

Domain: Literature; Category: General literature

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