Shakespeare's word |
Meaning (in the sample usage) |
# |
Reference(s) |
Sample usage |
tabor |
small drum |
9 |
TN 3.1 |
dost thou live by thy tabour? |
tang |
resound |
3 |
TN 2.5 |
let thy tongue tang arguments of state |
tax |
accuse, charge, censure (also in modern sense) |
11 |
Lear 3.2 |
I tax not you, you elements, with unkindness |
teem |
bear children; be impregnated |
3 |
Lear 1.4 Oth 4.1 |
If she must teem/ create her child of spleen; If that the earth could teem with women's tears |
tester, testril |
sixpence (from Fr. head) |
3 |
TN 2.3 |
There's a testril of me too: |
thought-executing |
instantly |
1 |
Lear 3.2 |
You sulphurous and thought-executing fires |
tithing |
parish |
1 |
Lear 3.4 |
Poor Tom ... who is whipped from tithing to tithing |
touch |
try, prove, as a touchstone (also in modern sense) |
116 |
Oth 3.3 |
Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed |
toy |
wild fancy; an odd conceit; folly |
15 |
Oth 3.4 |
Pray heaven it be ... no conception nor no jealous toy concerning you. |
troth |
belief; faith; fidelity |
95 |
Lear 3.4 |
Bid her alight, And her troth plight, |
tucket |
trumpet flourish |
1 |
Lear 2.4 |
[Tucket within] |
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 all the occurrences of "housewife", for example, and ponder the subtle differences of meaning from one usage to the next.
You can order the Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary by Alexander Schmidt (a Dover re-print, 1985) from Amazon.com:
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