There is no doubt that if you are a fan of English literature, especially Shakespeare, then you are here. Some of you are here only because of the man and his era interests you and come to understand his novels better. If you are a reader of literary books, then you would know how some words whoosh right above our heads, and we don’t know anything about it. Yet, there is a sweet pleasure of going back to a time when writing had a whole different approach.
Either way, this list is an outright treat for both sets of readers. We will not leave you with just the words. What is the point of that? We shall leave the name of the book it comes from, and what it means in the present era. This only gets more interesting, doesn’t it? Here’s a Shakespeare Vocabulary for every literature fan!
Shakespeare Vocabulary
Comptible (Adjective)
The adjective word Compitble comes from Shakespeare’s romantic comedy- Twelfth Night, that dates back to the 1600s. It refers to the emotion sensitive or thin-skinned. He used it for people who were more vulnerable to emotions more than others.
Fustian (Noun)
Also a word from the Twelfth Night, the word fustian, is one that we use in many other forms in today’s world. The term referred to people who behaved very pompously and spoke gibberish or nonsense.
Jaunce (Verb)
Jaunce, a verb, comes from the favorite literary works of many, Romeo and Juliet. It means to trudge about, run around alone, or with one another. Does seem like something we can use extensively even today, right?
Minion (Noun)
Now, did you just smell when you read the word minion? It might be heartbreaking to know that it did not mean the same as it does today. But it is something that is still as cute. Minion means darling. He also used the word to refer to someone who was a favorite. This cute one comes from the much-known Macbeth.
Orb (Noun)
The orb is suffering from awareness about protecting the environment. This sentence makes clear the meaning of this word that comes from an extensive list of the Shakespeare vocabulary. It means the world, but poetically also used in the Twelfth Night.
Wag (Noun)
Used in King Henry IV- Part 1, wag has nothing to do with a dog’s tail in Shakespeare’s literary world. My friend, Robert, he’s such a wag, that you would have fun with him. No, this word is no slang. It refers to a witty or mischievous person. Something new to describe people in our modern “orb,” isn’t it?
Teen (Noun)
For us, it is the category of young adults bugged with mood swings and new explorations. But in literature, the term teen referred to pain, grieving, trouble, or suffering. It comes from presumable Shakespeare’s last play that we wrote by himself, titled The Tempest.
Portance (Noun)
Portance is a one-of-a-kind word hailing from William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello. When we saw, “His portance annoys me”, what do you comprehend from it? The word means behavior, demeanor, or bearing.
Ides (Noun)
If you have read Julius Caesar like an ardent fan, you would know that ides refers to the fifteenth day of any month. While it is a term from literature, it would super cool to use it among our friends now, wouldn’t it?
Gramercy/ Gramercies
Okay, so this is one word that we surely bring back in trend. At least we know we are! Gramercy means many thanks. Instead of saying just thanks, let’s use this one coming from The Merchant of Venice.
Which of these did you like the most? Which from these would you want to bring to trend? Let us know in the comment section below.
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