Shakespeare Vocab

solemnly renounce

abjure

a widow with a title or property derived from her late husband

Dowager

spoken or done without preparation

extempore

cause to seem less serious

Extenuate

a star that is used to guide the course of a ship

Lodestars

relating to marriage or weddings

Nuptial

income

revenue

cause (two or more things) to change places with each other

Transpose

A child believed to have been secretly substituted by fairies for the parents' real child in infancy

Changeling

Sweet and soothing

dulcet

Situated at the back; posterior

Hind

Call into question the integrity or validity of

Impeach

Dishonest or unscrupulous

knavish

Lose or lack vitality; grow weak or feeble

languish

A thing that is very large or powerful

Leviathan

A short poem consisting of three stanzas of three lines each, rhyming alternately, with the opening words repeated as a refrain after the first and third stanzas

Roundel

A point of high land that juts out into a large body of water

Promontory

An excessive amount of something

surfeit

Having a smooth, pale, translucent surface or appearance like that of wax

Waxen

A person who conducts an audit

Auditor

Record in a factual and detailed way

Chronicled

cause surprise or confusion in (someone), especially by acting against their expectations

Confounding

contemptuous ridicule or mockery

derision

regard or represent as being of little worth

disparage

be filled with a feeling of love for

enamored

a paste of clay and water with sand, chopped straw, etc., used in making bricks and plastering walls

Loam

assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way, especially with regard to petty or trivial matters.

Officious

a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice

Proverb

cowardly

recreant

The sky or heaven

Welkin

having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner

Amiable

a friendly relationship

amity

an instrument containing a magnetized pointer which shows the direction of magnetic north and bearings from it

Compass

(especially with reference to a woman) making a pretense of shyness or modesty that is intended to be alluring

Coy

be extremely and uncritically fond of

dote

the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something

Enmity

reluctant; unwilling.

loath

a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality.

Paragon

uncertainty or doubt as to whether something is the case

Peradventure

untie (something braided)

Unbraid

the state of being annoyed, frustrated, or worried

vexation

a person's face, with reference to the form or proportions of the features

Visage

showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks

Audacious

charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way

Beguile

the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offense or revealing private information

Discretion

fluent or persuasive speaking or writing.

eloquence

a covering for all or part of the face, worn as a disguise, or to amuse or terrify other people

Masques

(especially with reference to a country with separate areas of government) the action or state of dividing or being divided into parts

Partition

the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues

Satire

filled with or characterized by intense but unexpressed anger

Seething

too long, slow, or dull; tiresome or monotonous

tedious

attack or kill (someone) by choking or strangling them

Throttle

great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle

Valor