Shakespeare Dictionary, M - P
Go to other Shakespeare Dictionary sections: A - L, M - O, Q - Z
This is an extremely selective and personal dictionary of troublesome words I have found in Shakespeare. It is limited to words that have fallen out of use, OR whose meanings have changed over the centuries. "Power" is an excellent example of this second category; in Shakespeare, it normally refers to an army.
Other words, like "pelican" and "willow" have lost the strong symbolic meaning that they had in Shakespeare's day. Most modern readers (myself included) would need a dictionary of mythology to understand that "pelicans" allegedly pecked open their mothers' breasts to feed.
Words like 'store' usually mean the same thing they mean now, but sometimes mean something a little different. In the example, 'store' means 'material, substance, stuff', as opposed to 'a supply of stuff'. Subtly, but distinctly different.
The table shows Shakespeare's word, it meaning (in the sample usage), "#" - its relative frequency, reference(s) to the word's use in well-known plays, and a sample usage, in context.
The middle column "#" is the number of times the word is found in Shakespeare (based on an Internet Shakespeare query service, not on exhaustive scholarly research). It is only shown to give a sense of how often the word appears.
Go to other Shakespeare Dictionary sections: A - L, M - O, Q - Z
Shakespeare's word
Meaning (in the sample usage)
#
Reference(s)
Sample usage
malapert
impudent
3
Rich III 1.3
Peace, master marquess, you are malapert:
manikin
puppet
1
TN 3.2
a dear manikin to you, Sir Toby.
measure
dances, music
calculate size or amount93
Rich III 1.1
Rich II 3.2to delightful measures
Measure our confines with such peaceful steps?meed
reward, merit
19
Rich III 1.3
And for his meed, poor lord, he is mew'd up.
meiny
retinue
1
Lear 2.4
They summon'd up their meiny, straight took horse;
mess
meal, food
a group of people, (soldiers), who eat meals together13
Lear 1.1
Oth 4.1
LLL 5.2
makes his generation messes to gorge his appetite I will chop her into messes.
A mess of Russians left us but of late.mew (up)
confine, shut up, imprison
11
Rich III 1.1
This day should Clarence closely be mew'd up,
minikin
shrill or pretty
1
Lear 3.6
And for one blast of thy minikin mouth,
minister
servant; subordinate; officer or assistant of inferior rank; hence, an agent, an instrument; to serve, to help; to remedy
65
Lear 3.2
Mac 5.3
But yet I call you servile ministers
Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased,
modest
usually in modern sense, but also:
appropriate, possible
47
Lear 2.4
Resolve me, with all modest haste, which way / Thou mightst deserve, or they impose,
moiety
portion, share
16
Lear I, 1
in neither can make choice of either's moiety
monument
memorial
41
Rich III 1.1
Our bruised arms hung up for monuments
natural
1) naturally loyal, and 2) illegitimate; pun on Latin for male member
many Lear 2.1
Loyal and natural boy,
nature
Physical constitution or existence; the vital powers; the natural life
creative world force329
Lear 3.4;
Lear 3.6
Rich III 1.1The tyranny of the open night's too rough For nature to endure. Oppressed nature sleeps
Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,"Nature" is one of those words in Shakespeare that one could write a whole dictionary about. The two different meanings shown here just scratch the surface of Shakespeare's use of the word. noddle
head
2
Shrew 1.1
comb your noddle with a three-legg'd stool
note
memory
musical element
notice (usual modern sense)
bill, invoice; list166
Lear 3.1
2 HVI 4.6
2 HVI 3.1
2 HIV 5.1upon the warrant of my note
by notes of household harmony
First note that he is near you ...
... the smith's note for shoeingnuncio
messenger
1
TN 1.4
She will attend it better in thy youth / Than in a nuncio's of more grave aspect.
obscured course
disguised way of life
Lear 2.2
observant
diligent, attentive
attendant, servant3
Ham 1.1
Lear 2.2same strict and most observant watch
Than twenty silly ducking observantsoffice
customary duty, function, responsibility, charge or trust
162
Lear 2.4;
Lear 2.1
thou better know'st The offices of nature,
Done thy father a child-like office
old trot
hag, old woman
1
Shrew 1.2
an old trot with ne'er a tooth in her head
or ... or ...
either ... or ...
Lear 3.6
Lear 4.7
Be thy mouth or black or white. Or well or ill, as this day's battle's fought.
When I was in college, struggling through my Signet volume of Shakespeare, I didn't have the time, money, or inclination to buy audio tapes of the plays. I've done so recently, and what a difference.
In part, because Shakespeare was meant to be heard (and seen), and in part, because the English language has changed, listening to King Lear, or any of the plays, while reading the text, adds a whole new dimension.
The humor becomes clearer; anger is better conveyed; the reader/listener at once can absorb so much more of the play. For King Lear
, this version with Sir Laurence Olivier is excellent.
ounce
Asian lynx
(also used as a measure of weight)1 Mids 2.2
Be it ounce, or cat, or bear out-wall
exterior
1 Lear 3.1
I am much more Than my out-wall
pack
to practise unlawful confederacy, collude
Lear 3.1
what hath been seen ... in snuffs and packings of the dukes
pantaloon
old wealthy suitor, stock character in Italian comedies
2 Shrew 3.1
As 2.7
that we might beguile the old pantaloon
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloonparish top
1
TN 1.3
till his brains turn o' the toe like a parish-top
passing
exceedingly, surpassingly
25 Mids 2.1
Rich III 1.1
For Oberon is passing fell and wrath
A cherry lip, a bonny eye, a passing pleasing tonguepelican
viciously ungrateful, parent-hurting,
as pelicans in fables cut open their mothers’ breasts to feed3 Lear 3.4
Those pelican daughters
pelting
paltry, mean
6 Mids 2.1
Rich II 2.1
Contagious fogs; which, falling in the land, / Hath every pelting river made so proud
Like to a tenement or pelting farm
perforce
of necessity
44 Lear 2.1
This weaves itself perforce into my business.
pheeze
settle your hash, fix you
2 Shrew Ind.
I'll pheeze you, in faith physic
a remedy for disease; a medicine
34 Lear 3.4
Take physic, pomp; Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel,
piece out
augment
3 Lear 3.6
... thankfully. I will piece out the comfort with what .. pight
fixed, past part. of pitch (as a tent)
3 Lear 2.1
When I dissuaded him from his intent, And found him pight to do it,
pilchard, pilcher
small herring-like fish
1
TN 3.1
fools are as like husbands as pilchards are to herrings; the husband's the bigger:
pill, pill'd
pillage, rob, plunder
3 Rich II
The commons hath he pill'd with grievous taxes
placket
petticoat, esp. an under petticoat; hence, a cant term for a woman
5 Lear 3.4
keep thy foot out of brothels, thy hand out of plackets
plain
complain
Lear 3.1
The king hath cause to plain.
plight
To pledge; to give as a pledge for the performance of some act; as, to plight faith, honor, word; -- never applied to property or goods.
15 TN 4.3
plight me the full assurance of your faith
policy
method by which a nation is governed; a system of administration, designed to promote the prosperity of a state
administration based on material interest, rather than on principles of equity or honor; hence, worldly wisdom; dexterity of management; cunning47
Henry V 1.1
1 HIV 1.3
Turn him to any cause of policy, / The Gordian knot of it he will unloose,
Never did base and rotten policy / Colour her working with such deadly wounds;politician
schemer
4
1 HIV 1.3
Of this vile politician, Bolingbroke.
pomp
magnificent, powerful one (a king)
31 Lear 3.4
Hamlet 3.2
Take physic, pomp; Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel,
No, let the candied tongue lick absurd pomp, / And crook the pregnant hinges of the knee / Where thrift may follow fawning.
The "candied tongue" line was a big success in Bolton High School in 1971. One of my classmates selected it as his yearbook quote. post
messenger, courier
66 Lear 2.4
came there a reeking post
pother (pudder)
confusion; tumult; flutter; bother
2 Lear 3.2
Let the great gods, That keep this dreadful pother o'er our heads, Find out their enemies now.
power
army
320 many
practise
skillful or artful management;
stratagem; artifice; plot;
65 many
Lear 2.4;Lear 2.1;
Oth 3.4
many
this remotion of the duke ... is practiseHe did bewray his practise
Either from Venice, or some unhatch'd practise / Made demonstrable here in Cyprus to him
privily
privately; secretly
5 Lear 3.3
I will seek him, and privily relieve him:
The most comprehensive work on this topic is Alexander Schmidt's Shakespeare Lexicon, a typical turn-of-the-century tome, carried out with Teutonic thoroughness. I wonder how the pre-computer-era scholars tackled projects like this; lots of index cards and infinite patience, I suppose.
Incredibly, the book provides EVERY instance of EVERY word, in context, used by Shakespeare. In any event, for anyone who really enjoys Shakespeare, it's fun to pore over this "volume of forgotten lore", read the three main definitions of "rank" (a row, too luxuriant, or degree) and all its occurrences in the plays.
You can order Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary (Vol. 2 N-Z) by Alexander Schmidt (a Dover re-print, 1985) from Amazon.com. Please note that this is only Volume 2, N-Z. (You can find Schmidt's first volume on the main page.)
Go To Shakespeare Dictionary Main Page
Visit my site: Visit my other site:
E-mail me: admin -at- acepilots -dot- com
Copyright 2007, by Acepilots.com. All rights reserved.