Name _________________________________________ Date ________________ Period ______
Glossary of Terms from Romeo and Juliet
The following is a comprehensive list of words and phrases found in Shakespeare‘s Romeo
and Juliet. These are terms and expressions that audiences in Shakespeare‘s time would
have had no problem understanding, however today, many of these words are out of use. It
is also important to remember that Shakespeare is also credited with creating over 2,000
words! Making things even more confusing is that Shakespeare left out letters, replacing
them with an apostrophe, left out words, and even rearranged word order. However, if you
need help understanding what a word means, this list is here to help.
‘havior: behavior
‘scape: escape
‘tis: it is
‘twere: it were
‘twill: it will
‘twixt: between
‘zounds: expression of surprise or
excitement
a’dwells: lives
abbey: a Christian monastery or convent
a-bed: to bed
abroach: to set on foot; begin
adieu: expression meaning “good bye”
ado: to do
afeard: afraid
affray: to frighten away
affright: to frighten
afore: before
alack: an expression of sorrow
alas: an expression of pity
an: if
anon: at once; soon
aqua-vitae: a solution of alcohol; usually
a type of brandy
art: are
athwart: cross
attend: listen; pay attention
attending: listening
aught: anything
a-weary: weary, tired
ay: yes
bad’st: asked; requested
bade: asked; requested
bandy: word play
bear: hold; withstand
bedeck: adorn with; decorate
beetle-brows: prominent eyebrows
befits: fits with; goes along with
beggar-maid: a young woman beggar
beggary: meanness
begot: past participle of beget; born; gave
birth to
behold: look; see
Benedicite: a morning prayer song;
“Good Morning”
bepaint: color
bescreen’d: hidden
beseech: beg
beseeming: seeming
beshrew: curse
bestrides: step or walk
betake: take
bethink: think; consider
betimes: at once
betossed: disturbed
betroth’d: engaged
bid: to wish; ask
bite your thumb: an expression of
insult
blaze: rekindle
bon jour: French for “good day” or
“hello”
bootless: without result; useless
break with: discuss; break the news to
bred: born; began
brow: forehead
by and by: an expression meaning “in a
minute”
by my fay: an expression meaning “in
faith
camest: came
cancell’d: cancelled; ended
candle-holder: one who holds the
candle for light and does not partake in
the action
canker’d: evil
8
canst: can
chamber-maid: a female attendant
chapless: without a jaw
charnel-house: a vault where dead
bodies are placed
cheveril: a soft leather made of young
goat skin
chid’st: chide; reprimand; scold
chide: scold
chop-logic: thinker; reasoner
closet: bedroom
coachmaker: one who makes coaches
cockatrice: a serpent
conceal’d: secret
conceit: idea
constable: a peace officer
cot-quean: an effeminate man
counsel: advice
cousin: any relative or close friend
coz: slang for “cousin”
crossed: opposed
crowkeeper: a scarecrow
cut’st: cut
death-mark’d: doomed
desirest: desire; want
discourses: speaks
dishclout: a dishrag
dispatch: to send away or to kill
doff: take off; remove
dooms-day: judgment day
dost: do
doth: does
dove-house: a cage for doves
drave: past tense of drove
dry-beat: beat with a club
ducats: a form of coinage
dun: a horse
earl: an English title of nobility
elf-locks: tangled hair
ell broad: a measure of 45 inches
endart: look away
enpierced: pierced; cut into
ere: before
fain: gladly; happily
farewell: good-bye
fashion-monger: one who studies or
follows the latest fashions
fee-simple: ownership
fellow: a young man
fettle: dress up
fie: an expression of dislike or
disappointment
fiery-footed: with feet of fire
five and twenty: twenty-five
fleer: smirk; grin mockingly
flirt-girls: flirty young women
foe: enemy
forbear: abstain; leave
forsooth: truly
forswear: a vow
forsworn: made a vow
forth: forward; away
fortnight: fourteen days
fortune: chance; fate
fray: fight
gall: bitterness; resentment
gentle: noble, prominent; also calm and
reserved
ghostly: spiritual
gleek: jest; joke
God gi god-den: “good day” or “good
evening”
good den: “good day” or “good evening”
good morrow: “good morning”
goodman: an expression of familiarity
green-sickness: anemia causing green
skin
hadst: had
hap: lucky; happy; happiness
hark ye: listen
hath: have
have the chinks: become rich
heavy: sad
hence: away from here; later
henceforth: from now
onhenceforward: from now on
hie: go
hiss’d: rejected
hist: a sound to get someone‘s attention,
like “hey”
hither: here
ho: an expression similar to “hey”
holidame: holiness
holp: past tense of help
humour: a mood or feeling; “ill humour”
may be a bad feeling about something or
in a bad mood
hunts-up: a tune to wake hunters for the
day‘s hunt
ill-beseeming: unflattering
interr’d: buried
iron crow: a crow bar
jealous-hood: jealousy; one who is
jealous
kin: family
kinsmen: family member; relative
learn: teach
lest: unless
let: hindrance; problem
level: direction
list: listen
lo: look!
logger-head: dolt; dunce
look’st: look
lord: an expression of respect towards a
man
lour: lower
maid: an unmarried young girl
maidenhead: virginity
maiden-widowed: having been made a
widow while still a virgin
margent: edge; border
mark: listen; pay attention to
marr’d: marked
marry: of course; indeed
mayst: may
medlars: small apple-shaped fruit
merrily: happily
merry dump: a happy song
methinks: I think
mew’d: imprisoned
mickle: great
midwife: a woman who assists in the
birth of a baby
mine: my
mischance: misfortune
misgives: foretells
mis-shapen: out of shape
mis-term’d: mis-named
mist-like: like a cloud or mist
moe: more
morn: morning
morrow: tomorrow
mouse-hunter: a ladies‘ man
naught: nothing
nay: no
needly: absolutely
nice: trivial; insignificant
nimble-pinion’d: swift winged; quick
nought: see naught
O: oh
o’er: over
off (drink thou off): without hesitation
oft: often
ope: open
page: a knight‘s attendant
pains: work; efforts
passing: excessively
pennyworths: a small amount
perchance: possibly or perhaps
perdona mi’s: French for “pardon me”
plague: curse
plantain-leaf: the leaf of a plantain tree
(similar to a banana)
poperin pear: a pear-like fruit
pout’st: pout
pray: ask; plead with
prest: pressed
princox: an overly confident fellow
prolixity: wordiness; long-windedness
prorogue: postpone
quinces: pear-shaped fruits
quoth: said
rail’st: to bring force against
rat-catcher: one who catches rats for a
living
rear-ward: toward the rear
repliest: reply
resolve: plan
rest you merry: “have a good day”
rooteth: grows
runagate: a wanderer or vagabond
saluteth: salutes; greets
savage-wild: crazy and out-of-control
seemeth: seems
serving-creature: a servant
set cock a hoop: cause problems
shalt: shall; will
shamest: shame
sirrah: fellow; young man
skains-mates: mischievous friends
slack: neglect
slug-a-bed: lazy person
soft: hush
spake: spoke
sped: done for; done in
stale and hoar: stale and moldy
star-crossed: ill-fated
stay: wait; endure
stir: move
stol’n: stolen
suit: appeal; offer
sup: to eat; ate
swashing: swaggering
sweeting: a sweet apple
swounded: swooned; felt faint
ta’en: taken
tallow-face: a pale complexion
taper: candle
tarry: wait
tassel-gentle: a male goshawk
tetchy: touchy; annoying
thee: you
thence: away from there
therewithal: in addition to
thine: mine
thither: there
thou: you (informal)
thrice: three times
thy: your or my
tidings: news
till: until
tithe-pig: a pig paid as tithing
to’t: to it
troth: truth
trow: think
truckle-bed: a trundle bed
tush: an expression meaning “be quiet”
tut: an expression meaning “be quiet”
twain: two
two and forty: forty-two
up-roused: aroused
ware: aware
warrant: promise
wast: were
waverer: one who fluctuates
went’st: went
wert: were
whence: from what place?
wherefore: why
whereto: to what place or end
whit: a small particle
whither: where
whoreson: a scoundrel
wild-goose chase: a futile search or
fruitless errand
will: desire
wilt: will
wit: desire
withal: with
woe: grief
woo: to court; date; flirt
wormwood: a bitter herb used to help
babies stop breastfeeding
wot: know
would: wish
wouldst: would
wretch: a deplorable person
writ: written
ye: plural form of you
yea: yes
yew-tree: a type of evergreen tree
yond: that
yonder: over there