Homer in Translation: The Odyssey — Vocabulary Ladder

The ladder. Rung 1: read Bryant’s blank-verse translation (1871; 111,921 words) and learn its vocabulary. Rung 2: the shared words — vocabulary Bryant and Chapman have in common, so Bryant pre-teaches Chapman. Rung 3: Chapman’s Homer itself (1615; 160,271 words) — first its everyday hard words, then its Elizabethan language. Of Chapman’s study-worthy words, 898 are pre-taught by Bryant.

Rung 1 — Words for Bryant’s Translation

spake ×464 Webster 1828

preterit tense of speak; nearly obsolete. We not use spoke.

“who didst not fear To eat the strangers sheltered by thy roof, Jove and the other gods avenge them thus.’ “I spake; the anger in his bosom raged More fiercely.”

suitors ×195 Webster 1828

noun One that sues or prosecutes a demand of right in law, as a plaintiff, petitioner or appellant. 1.

“Meanwhile the suitors on their ocean-path Went in their galley, plotting cruelly To slay Telemachus.”

isle ×96 Webster 1828

ISLE ILE, noun ile. [Latin insula.] 1. A tract of land surrounded by water, or a detached portion of land embosomed in the ocean, in a lake or river. The isles shall wait for his law.

“All the chiefs who rule The isles, Dulichium, Samos, and the groves That shade Zacynthus, and who bear the sway In rugged Ithaca, have come to woo My mother, and from day to day consume My substance.”

dwell ×76 Webster 1828

verb intransitive preterit tense dwelled, usually contracted into dwelt. [See Dally.] 1. To abide as a permanent resident, or to inhabit for a time; to live in a place; to have a habitation for some…

“Two tribes there are; one dwells beneath The rising, one beneath the setting sun.”

swineherd ×73 Webster 1828

noun [swine and herd.] A keeper of swing.

“Telemachus is there, with whom I sent The herdsman and the swineherd, bidding them Make ready with all speed our evening meal.””

spear ×67 Webster 1828

noun 1. A long pointed weapon, used in war and hunting by thrusting or throwing; a lance. 2. A sharp pointed instrument with barbs; used for stabbing fish and other animals. 3.

“In her hand she bore the spear, And seemed the stranger Mentes, he who led The Taphians.”

winged ×65 Webster 1828

participle passive 1. Furnished with wings; transported by flying. 2. adjective Having wings; as a winged fowl. Genesis 1:21. 3. Swift; rapid; as with winged haste. 4. Wounded; hurt. 5.

“He came, and taking her right hand received The brazen spear, and spake these winged words:⁠— “Hail, stranger!”

comrade ×61 Webster 1828

noun , Literally, one who lodges in the same room. Hence in a more general sense, a fellow, a mate or companion; an associate in occupation.

““Polites then, a chief the most beloved And most discreet of all my comrades, spake:⁠— “ ‘Someone is here, my friends, who sweetly sings, Weaving an ample web, and all the floor Rings to her voice.”

galley ×61 Webster 1828

noun plural galleys. [Latin galea. The Latin word signifies a helmet, the top of a mast, and a galley; and the name of this vessel seems to have been derived from the head-piece, or kind of basket-…

“It fell behind Our black-prowed galley, where it almost struck The rudder’s end.”

banquet ×59 Webster 1828

noun A feast; a rich entertainment of meat and drink. Esther 5:4. Job xli. Amos 6:7. BAN'QUET, verb transitive To treat with a feast, or rich entertainment. BAN'QUET, verb intransitive To feast; to…

“He saved them not, Though earnestly he strove; they perished all, Through their own folly; for they banqueted, Madmen!”

sorrow ×58 Webster 1828

noun The uneasiness or pain of mind which is produced by the loss of any good. or of frustrated hopes of good, or expected loss of happiness; to grieve; to be sad.

““Onward we sailed, with sorrow in our hearts For our lost friends, though glad to be reprieved From death.”

sage ×56 Webster 1828

noun A plant of the genius Salvia, of several species; as the officinalis, or common large sage of several varieties; the tomentosa or balsamic sage; the auriculata, or sage of virtue; and the pomif…

“From her chamber o’er the hall The daughter of Icarius, the sage queen Penelope, had heard the heavenly strain, And knew its theme.”

cloak ×55 Webster 1828

CLOAK. [See Cloke.]

“Meantime had Circè bathed My comrades at the palace, and with oil Anointed them, and robed them in fair cloaks And tunics.”

blue-eyed ×55 Webster 1828

adjective Having blue eyes.

“The blue-eyed Pallas, having spoken thus, Departed o’er the barren deep.”

limb ×54 Webster 1828

noun lim. [Latin limbus, edge or border, extremity; limes, limit. The sense of limb is from shooting or extending.] 1. Edge or border.

“Forthwith Fell from their limbs the bristles which had grown All over them, when mighty Circè gave At first the baleful potion.”

slain ×54 Webster 1828

participle passive of slay; so written for slayen. Killed.

“We sent the herald Argicide, Bidding him neither slay the chief nor woo His queen, for that Orestes, when he came To manhood and might claim his heritage, Would take due vengeance for Atrides slain.”

meantime ×54 Webster 1913

1. The intervening time] as, in the meantime (or mean time). 2. In the intervening time; during the interval.

“Meantime, groaning and in pain, And groping with his hands, he moved away The rock that barred the entrance.”

bade ×54 Webster 1828

BADE, the past tense of bid. [See Bid.]

“I bade my comrades now decide by lot Which of them all should dare, along with me, To lift the stake, and with its point bore out Our enemy’s eye, when softly wrapped in sleep.”

flock ×53 Webster 1828

noun [Latin floccus. It is the same radically as flake, and applied to wool or hair, we write it lock. See Flake.] 1. A company or collection; applied to sheep and other small animals.

“Thither the souls of those who died will flock In multitudes.”

sagacious ×53 Webster 1828

adjective [Latin sagax, from sagus, wise, foreseeing; saga, a wise woman; sagio, to perceive readily.

“Ulysses, the sagacious, answered thus:⁠— “O King Alcinoüs, most renowned of men!”

discreet ×52 Webster 1828

adjective [Latin , Gr. It is sometimes written discrete; the distinction between discreet and discrete are arbitrary, but perhaps not entirely useless.

““Polites then, a chief the most beloved And most discreet of all my comrades, spake:⁠— “ ‘Someone is here, my friends, who sweetly sings, Weaving an ample web, and all the floor Rings to her voice.”

barque ×52 Webster 1828

noun A small ship; but appropriately, a ship which carries three masts without a mizen top sail.

“Think not I would spare Thee or thy comrades to avoid the wrath Of Jupiter, unless it were my choice; But say⁠—for I would know⁠—where hast thou left Thy gallant barque in landing?”

lest ×50 Webster 1828

conjunction That not; for fear that. Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. Genesis 3:3. The phrase may be thus explained.

“And if thou shouldst delay beside the rock To take up arms, I fear lest once again She fall on thee with all her heads, and seize As many men.”

lofty ×50 Webster 1828

adjective 1. Elevated in place; high; as a lofty tower; a lofty mountain. [But it expresses more than high, or at least is more emphatical, poetical and elegant.] See lofty Lebanon his head advance.…

“Entering then The lofty halls, he set the spear upright By a tall column, in the armory With polished walls, where rested many a lance Of the large-souled Ulysses.”

wrought ×45 Webster 1828

preterit tense and participle passive of work. raut. 1. Worked; formed by work or labor; as wrought iron. 2. Effected; performed. She hath wrought a good work upon me. Matthew 26:10. 3.

“Someone there, Goddess or woman, weaving busily An ample web, sang sweetly as she wrought.”

beheld ×45 Webster 1828

preterit tense and participle passive of behold, which see.

“All within The palace were struck mute as they beheld The man before them.”

garment ×44 Webster 1828

noun Any article of clothing, as a coat, a gown, etc. Garments, in the plural, denotes clothing in general; dress. No man putteth a piece of new cloth to an old garment Matthew 9:16.

“They took my garments off, Mantle and cloak, and clothed me in a vest And cloak, the very rags which thou dost see.”

abode ×44 Webster 1828

preterit tense of abide ABO'DE, noun [See Abide.] 1. Stay; continuance in a place; residence for a longer or shorter time. 2. A place of continuance; a dwelling; a habitation. 3.

“For his abode was in the thick-grown grove Of Phoebus.”

weep ×43 Webster 1828

verb intransitive preterit tense and participle passive wept. Weeped, I believe is never used. [See Whoop. The primary sense is to cry out.] 1. To express sorrow, grief or anguish by outcry.

“When she now had reached, With her attendant maids, the upper rooms, She mourned Ulysses, her beloved spouse, And wept, till blue-eyed Pallas closed her lids In gentle slumbers.”

maiden ×42 Webster 1828

noun 1. An unmarried woman, or a young unmarried woman; a virgin. 2. A female servant. 3. It is used in composition, to express the feminine gender, as in maid-servant. MA'IDEN, noun A maid; also, a…

“Down by the lofty stairs She came, but not alone; there followed her Two maidens.”

ample ×42 Webster 1828

adjective [Latin amplus.] 1. Large; wide; spacious; extended; as ample room. This word carries with it the sense of room or space fully sufficient for the use intended. 2.

““Polites then, a chief the most beloved And most discreet of all my comrades, spake:⁠— “ ‘Someone is here, my friends, who sweetly sings, Weaving an ample web, and all the floor Rings to her voice.”

behold ×41 Webster 1828

verb transitive preterit tense and participle passive beheld' [Latin observo, from servo, to keep.] 1.

“Meanwhile, impatient to behold the smokes That rise from hearths in his own land, he pines And willingly would die.”

wandering ×40 Webster 1828

participle present tense Roving; rambling; deviating from duty. WANDERING, noun 1. Peregrination; a traveling without a settled course. 2.

“For this cause the god Who shakes the shores, although he slay him not, Sends forth Ulysses wandering far away From his own country.”

herd ×40 Webster 1828

noun 1. A collection or assemblage; applied to beasts when feeding or driven together. We say, a herd of horses, oxen, cattle, camels, elephants, bucks, harts, and in Scripture, a herd of swine.

“There might a man who never yields to sleep Earn double wages, first in pasturing herds, And then in tending sheep; for there the fields Grazed in the daytime are by others grazed At night.”

swine ×40 Webster 1828

noun sing. and plural A hog, a quadruped of the genus Sus, which furnishes man with a large portion of his most nourishing food.

“Then instantly She touched them with a wand, and shut them up In sties, transformed to swine in head and voice, Bristles and shape, though still the human mind Remained to them.”

godlike ×40 Webster 1828

adjective Resembling God; divine. 1. Resembling a deity, or heathen divinity. 2. Of superior excellence; as godlike virtue; a godlike prince.

“Thus Ulysses prayed:⁠— “Aretè, daughter of the godlike chief Rhexenor!”

immortal ×39 Webster 1828

adjective [Latin immortalis. See Mortal.] 1. Having no principle of alteration or corruption; exempt from death; having life or being that shall never end; as an immortal soul. To the King eternal,…

“Let us now consult Together and provide for his return, And Neptune will lay by his wrath, for vain It were for one like him to strive alone Against the might of all the immortal gods.””

slay ×39 Webster 1828

verb transitive preterit tense slew; participle passive slain. [The proper sense is to strike, and as beating was an early mode of killing, this word, like smite, came to signify to kill.

“We sent the herald Argicide, Bidding him neither slay the chief nor woo His queen, for that Orestes, when he came To manhood and might claim his heritage, Would take due vengeance for Atrides slain.”

bind ×38 Webster 1828

verb transitive 1. To tie together, or confine with a cord, or any thing that is flexible; to fasten as with a band, fillet or ligature. 2.

“I only kept my dark-hulled ship without, And bound its cable to a jutting rock.”

Rung 2 — Shared Vocabulary

wooers ×220 Webster 1828

noun [from woo.] One who courts, or solicits in love.

“‭ About which while they sat, about the town ‭ Fame flew, and shriek’d about the cruel death ‭ And fate the Wooers had sustain’d beneath ‭ Ulysses’ roofs.”

ox ×89 Webster 1828

noun plural oxen. pronoun ox'n. The male of the bovine genus of quadrupeds, castrated and grown to his size or nearly so. The young male is called in America a steer.

“‭ That in their hunger’s rapine would not shun ‭ The oxen of the lofty-going Sun, ‭ Who therefore from their eyes the day bereft ‭ Of safe return.”

sire ×84 Webster 1828

noun [supra.] 1. A father; used in poetry. And raise his issue like a loving sire 2. The male parent of a beast; particularly used of horses; as, the horse had a good sire but a bad dam. 3.

“‭ Pallas, whose eyes did sparkle like the skies, ‭ Answer’d: “O Sire!”

tis ×76 Webster 1828

a contraction of it is.

“‭ _Tis best to be at home, harm lurks abroad._ ‭ And certainly thy virtue shall be known, ‭ ’Gainst great-ill-causing incantation ‭ To serve as for a lance or amulet.”

vow ×75 Webster 1828

noun 1. A solemn promisemade to God, or by a pagan to his deity. The Roman generals when they went to war, sometimes made a vow that they would build a temple to some favorite deity, if he would give…

“But divide we now ‭ The sacrifices’ tongues, mix wines, and vow ‭ To Neptune, and the other Ever-Blest, ‭ That, having sacrific’d, we may to rest.”

lest ×74 Webster 1828

conjunction That not; for fear that. Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. Genesis 3:3. The phrase may be thus explained.

“The most grave and divine poet, teaching therein, that not so ‭much for the necessary chewing of our sustenance our teeth are ‭given us, as for their stay of our words, lest we utter them rashly.”

haste ×67 Webster 1828

noun 1. Celerity of motion; speed; swiftness; dispatch; expedition; applied only to voluntary beings, as men and other animals; never to other bodies.

“‭ Then rush’d in the rude wooers, themselves plac’d; ‭ The heralds water gave; the maids in haste ‭ Serv’d bread from baskets.”

woe ×65 Webster 1913

1. Grief; sorrow; misery; heavy calamity. 2. Woeful; sorrowful. 3. A curse; a malediction.

“And, that night’s sleep too, ‭ We turn’d to studying either other’s woe; ‭ When Jove besides made ready woes enow.”

isle ×61 Webster 1828

ISLE ILE, noun ile. [Latin insula.] 1. A tract of land surrounded by water, or a detached portion of land embosomed in the ocean, in a lake or river. The isles shall wait for his law.

“‭ And many more this mischief menaceth ‭ Of us inhabiting this famous isle.”

deity ×59 Webster 1828

noun 1. Godhead; divinity; the nature and essence of the Supreme Being; as, the deity of the Supreme Being is manifest in his works. 2. God; the Supreme Being, or infinite self-existing Spirit. 3.

“Beyond the height of phrase ‭ You raise expression; but ’twill never be, ‭ That I shall move in any Deity ‭ So blest an honour.”

wrought ×59 Webster 1828

preterit tense and participle passive of work. raut. 1. Worked; formed by work or labor; as wrought iron. 2. Effected; performed. She hath wrought a good work upon me. Matthew 26:10. 3.

“The Nymph then brought ‭ Linen for sails, which with dispatch he wrought, ‭ Gables, and halsters, tacklings.”

herd ×57 Webster 1828

noun 1. A collection or assemblage; applied to beasts when feeding or driven together. We say, a herd of horses, oxen, cattle, camels, elephants, bucks, harts, and in Scripture, a herd of swine.

“The common herd, I assure myself, ‭ready to receive it on their horns.”

bind ×51 Webster 1828

verb transitive 1. To tie together, or confine with a cord, or any thing that is flexible; to fasten as with a band, fillet or ligature. 2.

“When from the vulgar taking glorious bound Up to the mountain where the Muse is crown’d, He sits and laughs to see the jaded rabble Toil to his hard heights, t’ all access unable, etc.”

slaughter ×50 Webster 1828

noun slaw'ter [See Slay.] 1. In a general sense, a killing. Applied to men, slaughter usually denotes great destruction of life by violent means; as the slaughter of men in battle. 2.

“‭ Poor dame, she dreams not, what design we make ‭ Upon the life and slaughter of her son.””

thence ×49 Webster 1828

adverb thens. 1. From that place. When you depart thence shake off the dust of your feet. Mark 6:1. It is more usual, though not necessary, to use from before thence Then will I send and fetch thee…

“‭ It sounded dreadfully; to which he sung, ‭ As if from thence the first and true force sprung ‭ That fashions virtue.”

bestow ×48 Webster 1913

1. To lay up in store; to deposit for safe keeping; to stow; to place; to put. 2. To use; to apply; to devote, as time or strength in some occupation. 3. To expend, as money. 4.

“‭ Be thou to Dis, too, sole Ambassador, ‭ Who, though all gifts and bounties he abhor, ‭ On thee he will bestow a wealthy one.””

hid ×47 Webster 1828

HID HI'DAGE, noun [from hide, a quantity of land.] An extraordinary tax formerly paid to the kings of England for every hide of land.

“The nerves of all things hid in nature lie Naked before him; all their harmony Tun’d to his accents, that in beasts breathe minds.”

muse ×40 Webster 1828

Please check your spelling. Try unpluralized words or use a root word. For further assistance visit our Facebook page.

“What fowls, what floods, what earth, what air, what winds, What fires ethereal, what the Gods conclude In all their counsels, his Muse makes indued With varied voices that ev’n rocks have mov’d.”

moan ×40 Webster 1828

verb transitive To lament; to deplore; to bewail with an audible voice. Ye floods, ye woods, ye echoes, moan My dear Columbo dead and gone. MOAN, verb intransitive To grieve; to make lamentations. U…

“‭ Nor shall I any more mourn him alone, ‭ The Gods have giv’n me other cause of moan.”

bosom ×40 Webster 1828

noun s as z. 1. The breast of a human being and the parts adjacent. 2. The folds or covering of clothes about the breast. Put thy hand in thy bosom Exodus 4:6. 3.

“‭ Nor shall the pow’rs of men nor Gods withhold ‭ My fiery resolution to enfold ‭ Thy bosom in mine arms; which here I vow ‭ To firm performance, past delay, and now.”

spake ×39 Webster 1828

preterit tense of speak; nearly obsolete. We not use spoke.

“‭ With this his mind she altered, though she spake ‭ Not for his good, but her own glory’s sake.”

spoil ×38 Webster 1828

verb transitive [Latin , to pull asunder, to tear, to strip, to peel.] 1. To plunder; to strip by violence; to rob; with of; as, to spoil one of his goods or possessions. My sons their old unhappy si…

“‭ Or from thy subjects’ hate, that wish thy spoil, ‭ And will not aid thee, since their spirits rely, ‭ Against thy rule, on some grave augury?”

rite ×38 Webster 1828

noun [Latin ritus.] The manner of performing divine or solemn service as established by law, precept or custom; formal act of religion, or other solemn duty.

“‭ Whose state when Nestor doth perceive, ‭ With sacrifice he makes it known, ‭ Where many a pleasing rite is shown.”

utmost ×38 Webster 1828

adjective 1. Extreme; being at the furthest point or extremity; as the utmost limit of North America; the utmost limits of the land; the utmost extent of human knowledge. 2.

“‭ They summon’d; th’ other came in utmost haste.”

slain ×38 Webster 1828

participle passive of slay; so written for slayen. Killed.

“‭ There found she those proud wooers, that were then ‭ Set on those ox-hides that themselves had slain, ‭ Before the gates, and all at dice were playing.”

amidst ×37 Webster 1828

Please check your spelling. Try unpluralized words or use a root word. For further assistance visit our Facebook page.

“‭ Thick’ning the hapless vapour--then truth’s light ‭ Glimmer’d about his poem; the pinch’d soul ‭ (Amidst the mysteries it did enrol) ‭ Brake pow’rfully abroad.”

sorrow ×36 Webster 1828

noun The uneasiness or pain of mind which is produced by the loss of any good. or of frustrated hopes of good, or expected loss of happiness; to grieve; to be sad.

“said he, “let’s dwell no more on this, ‭ Although in us the sorrow pious is.”

flock ×36 Webster 1828

noun [Latin floccus. It is the same radically as flake, and applied to wool or hair, we write it lock. See Flake.] 1. A company or collection; applied to sheep and other small animals.

“‭ When having view’d, and told them forth by fives, ‭ He takes place in their midst, and there doth sleep, ‭ Like to a shepherd midst his flock of sheep.”

banquet ×35 Webster 1828

“Next to this, ‭ The Banquet of the Wooers is.”

ere ×35 Webster 1828

adverb Before; sooner than. ERE sails were spread new oceans to explore. The nobleman saith to him, Sir, come down ere my child die.

“‭ Though I began the use with sleepless nights, ‭ I many a darkness with right homely rites ‭ Have spent ere this hour, and desir’d the morn ‭ Would come, and make sleep to the world a scorn.”

immortal ×34 Webster 1828

“‭ Like to a hill, the blue and snaky flood ‭ Above th’ immortal and the mortal stood, ‭ And hid them both, as both together lay, ‭ Just where his current falls into the sea.”

strife ×34 Webster 1828

noun [See Strive.] 1. Exertion or contention for superiority; contest of emulation, either by intellectual or physical efforts.

“Atrides then ‭ Began to know him, and did strife retain, ‭ If he should let himself confess his sire, ‭ Or with all fitting circumstance enquire.”

bade ×34 Webster 1828

BADE, the past tense of bid. [See Bid.]

“Dolius’ son ‭ Made present speed abroad, and saw them nigh, ‭ Ran back, and told, bade arm; and instantly ‭ Were all in arms.”

ample ×33 Webster 1828

adjective [Latin amplus.] 1. Large; wide; spacious; extended; as ample room. This word carries with it the sense of room or space fully sufficient for the use intended. 2.

“Did not ever he, ‭ In ample Troy, thy altars gratify, ‭ And Grecians’ fleet make in thy off’rings swim?”

limb ×33 Webster 1828

noun lim. [Latin limbus, edge or border, extremity; limes, limit. The sense of limb is from shooting or extending.] 1. Edge or border.

“‭ All but Nausicaa fled; but she fast stood, ‭ Pallas had put a boldness in her breast, ‭ And in her fair limbs tender fear comprest.”

err ×33 Webster 1828

verb intransitive [Latin erro.] 1. To wander from the right way; to deviate from the true course or purpose. But errs not nature from this gracious end, From burning suns when livid deaths descend?…

“‭ For whose lost eye, th’ Earth-shaker did not kill ‭ Erring Ulysses, but reserves him still ‭ In life for more death.”

horrid ×33 Webster 1828

adjective [Latin horridus. See Horror.] 1. That does or may excite horror; dreadful; hideous; shocking; as a horrid spectacle or sight; horrid sympathy. 2. Rough; rugged.

“Imperial Jove, ‭ That makes the horrid murmur beat above, ‭ Took place past all, whose height for ever springs, ‭ And from whom flowers th’ eternal pow’r of things.”

envy ×32 Webster 1828

verb transitive [Latin invideo, in and video, to see against, that is, to look with enmity.] 1.

“‭ All Gods took pity on him; only he, ‭ That girds earth in the cincture of the sea, ‭ Divine Ulysses ever did envy, ‭ And made the fix’d port of his birth to fly.”

mast ×32 Webster 1828

noun A long, round piece of timber, elevated or designed to be raised perpendicularly or nearly so, on the keel of a ship or other vessel, to which the yards, sails and rigging are attached, and by w…

“‭ At morn, masts, sails, rear’d, we sat, left the shores, ‭ And beat the foamy ocean with our oars.”

renown ×32 Webster 1828

noun Fame; celebrity; exalted reputation derived from the extensive praise of great achievements or accomplishments. Giants of old, men of renown Genesis 6:4.

“‭ TO THE SUN ‭ The radiant Sun’s divine renown diffuse, ‭ Jove’s daughter, great Calliope, my Muse; ‭ Whom ox-ey’d Euryphaëssa gave birth ‭ To the bright Seed of starry Heaven and Earth.”

Rung 3a — Chapman’s Everyday Words

assay ×30 Webster 1828

noun [Latin sequor; assequor, to follow, to examine. See Essay.] 1. The trial of the goodness, purity, weight, value, etc. of metals or metallic substances.

“Which done, ‭ Assays for hurling of the stone ‭ The youths make with the stranger-king.”

dispose ×28 Webster 1828

verb transitive dispoze. [Latin] 1. To set; to place or distribute; to arrange; used with reference to order. The ships were disposed in the form of a crescent.

“Of all yet thron’d above, ‭ They most observ’d the grey-eyed seed of Jove; ‭ Who, from the evening till the morning rose, ‭ And all day long their voyage did dispose.”

bred ×27 Webster 1828

participle passive of breed. Generated; produced; contrived; educated.

“I will burn to thee ‭ An ox right bred, broad-headed, and yoke-free, ‭ To no man’s hand yet humbled.”

contention ×25 Webster 1828

noun [Latin See Contend.] 1. Strife; struggle; a violent effort to obtain something, or to resist a person, claim or injury; contest; quarrel. Multitudes lost their lives in a tumult raised by conte…

“‭ By whose help she betwixt the brother kings ‭ Let fall contention; who in council met ‭ In vain, and timeless, when the sun was set, ‭ And all the Greeks call’d, that came charg’d with wine.”

ashore ×25 Webster 1828

adverb [a, at or on, and shore. See shore.] 1. On shore; on the land adjacent to water; to the shore; as, bring the goods ashore 2.

“‭ But when thou touchest with thy hand the shore, ‭ Then take it from thy neck, nor wear it more, ‭ But cast it far off from the continent, ‭ And then thy person far ashore present.”

vein ×24 Webster 1828

noun [Latin vena, from the root of venio, to come, to pass. The sense is a passage, a conduit.] 1.

“‭ Whose loves with no good did my least vein fill; ‭ And from their hates I fear as little ill.”

invade ×23 Webster 1828

verb transitive [Latin invado; in and vado, to go.] 1. To enter a country, as an army with hostile intentions; to enter as an enemy, with a view to conquest or plunder; to attack.

“‭ On each side, dogs, of gold and silver fram’d, ‭ The house’s guard stood: which the Deity lam’d ‭ With knowing inwards had inspir’d, and made ‭ That death nor age should their estates invade.”

vent ×21 Webster 1828

noun [Latin venio, Eng. wind, etc.; properly a passage.] 1. A small aperture; a hole or passage for air or other fluid to escape; as the vent of a cask. 2.

“‭ He, angry, answer’d: “Thou didst never show ‭ Thyself a fool, Boethides, till now; ‭ But now, as if turn’d child, a childish speech ‭ Vents thy vain spirits.”

humour ×19 Modern

1. (noun) the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous 2. (noun) the quality of being funny 3. (noun) the liquid parts of the body

“‭ Icarius’ daughter started from her sleep, ‭ And Joy’s fresh humour her lov’d breast did steep, ‭ When now so clear, in that first watch of night, ‭ She saw the seen Dream vanish from her sight.”

fetch ×19 Webster 1828

verb transitive 1. To go and bring, or simply to bring, that is, to bear a thing towards or to a person. We will take men to fetch victuals for the people. Judges 20:10. Go to the flock, and fetch me…

“‭ All this see got together; I it all ‭ In night will fetch off, when my mother shall ‭ Ascend her high room, and for sleep prepare.”

admiration ×19 Webster 1828

noun Wonder mingled with pleasing emotions, as approbation, esteem, love or veneration; a compound emotion excited by something novel, rare, great, or excellent; applied to persons and their works.

“With whose view, ‭ And study what events they might foretell ‭ The Council into admiration fell.”

honours ×16 Modern

1. (noun) a university degree with honors

“And yet for all this, naked Virtue lov’d, Honours without her he as abject prizes, And foolish Fame, deriv’d from thence, despises.”

therein ×16 Webster 1828

adverb [there and in.] In that or this place, time or thing. Bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply therein Genesis 9:7. Ye shall keep the sabbath--whosoever doeth any work therein--that s…

“The most grave and divine poet, teaching therein, that not so ‭much for the necessary chewing of our sustenance our teeth are ‭given us, as for their stay of our words, lest we utter them rashly.”

imply ×15 Webster 1828

verb transitive [Latin implico; in and plico, to fold. See Implicate.] 1. Literally, to infold or involve; to wrap up. 2.

“In the door, aloof, ‭ Ent’ring the hall grac’d with a goodly roof, ‭ She stood, in shade of graceful veils, implied ‭ About her beauties; on her either side, ‭ Her honour’d women.”

hymn ×15 Webster 1828

noun hym. [Latin hymnus; Eng. hum.]song or ode in honor of God, and among pagans, in honor of some deity.

“‭ A HYMN TO HERMES ‭ Hermes, the son of Jove and Maia, sing, ‭ O Muse, th’ Arcadian and Cyllenian king, ‭ They rich in flocks, he heaven enriching still ‭ In messages return’d with all his will.”

turret ×15 Webster 1828

noun [Latin turris.] A little tower; a small eminence or spire attached to a building and rising above it. And lift her turrets nearer to the sky. 1.

“‭ But of these turrets I will take on me ‭ To be the absolute king, and reign as free, ‭ As did my father, over all his hand ‭ Left here in this house slaves to my command.””

gore ×14 Webster 1828

noun [Gr. from issuing.] 1. Blood; but generally, thick or clotted blood; blood that after effusion becomes inspissated. 2. Dirt; mud. [Unusual.] GORE, noun 1.

“No mountain lion tore ‭ Two lambs so sternly, lapp’d up all their gore ‭ Gush’d from their torn-up bodies, limb by limb ‭ (Trembling with life yet) ravish’d into him.”

aspire ×13 Webster 1828

verb intransitive [Latin aspiro, to breathe. See Aspirate.] 1. To desire with eagerness; to pant after an object, great, noble or spiritual; followed by to or after; as to aspire to a crown or after…

“‭ Whom storms put in there are with stay embrac’d, [6] ‭ Or to their full wills safe, or winds aspire ‭ To pilots’ uses their more quick desire.”

ascent ×13 Webster 1828

noun [Latin ascensus.] 1. The act of rising; motion upwards, whether in air, water or other fluid, or on elevated objects; rise; a mounting upwards; as the ascent of vapors from the earth. 2.

“An ascent so high ‭ My thoughts affect not.”

ingenious ×13 Webster 1828

adjective [Latin ingeniosus, from ingenium; in and genius, geno, gigno, to beget. 1. Possessed of genius, or the faculty of invention; hence, skillful or prompt to invent; having an aptitude to cont…

“said she, “thou wilt be ever thus ‭ In ev’ry worldly good incredulous, ‭ And therefore have no more the pow’r to see ‭ Frail life more plagued with infelicity ‭ In one so eloquent, ingenious, wise.”

exempt ×12 Webster 1828

verb transitive egzemt' [Latin eximo, exemptus; ex and emo, to take.] Literally, to take out or from; hence, to free, or permit to be free, from any charge, burden, restraint, duty, evil or requisit…

“But, had I the pow’r, ‭ My will should serve me to exempt this hour ‭ From out my life-time.”

lust ×12 Webster 1828

noun 1. Longing desire; eagerness to possess or enjoy; as the lust of gain. My lust shall be satisfied upon them. Exodus 15:9. 2. Concupiscence; carnal appetite; unlawful desire of carnal pleasure.

“‭ Another man, that so long miseries ‭ Had kept from his lov’d home, and thus return’d ‭ To see his house, wife, children, would have burn’d ‭ In headlong lust to visit.”

celestial ×12 Webster 1828

adjective 1. Heavenly; belonging or relating to heaven; dwelling in heaven; as celestial spirits; celestial joys. Hence the word conveys the idea of superior excellence, delight, purity, etc. 2.

“‭ When here arriv’d, we drew her up to land, ‭ And trod ourselves the re-saluted sand, ‭ Found on the shore fit resting for the night, ‭ Slept, and expected the celestial light.”

alas ×11 Webster 1828

exclamation An exclamation expressive of sorrow, grief, pity, concern, or apprehension of evil; sometimes followed by day or while; alas the day, like alack a day; or alas the while, expressing an un…

“‭ Another said: “Alas, who knows but he ‭ Once gone, and erring like his sire at sea, ‭ May perish like him, far from aid of friends, ‭ And so he makes us work?”

intending ×11 Webster 1828

participle present tense Meaning; designing; purposing. 1. Stretching; distending. [Little used.]

“‭[2] Intending Dymas’ daughter.”

monstrous ×11 Webster 1828

adjective [Latin monstrosus.] Unnatural in form; out of the common course of nature; as a monstrous birth or production. 1. Strange; very wonderful; generally expressive of dislike. 2.

“thou shouldst not have so much abus’d ‭ Thy monstrous forces, to oppose their least ‭ Against a man immartial, and a guest, ‭ And eat his fellows.”

fright ×11 Webster 1828

noun frite. [Gr. to fear, that is, to shrink or shiver.] Sudden and violent fear; terror; a passion excited by the sudden appearance of danger.

“All in flight ‭ The virgins scatter’d, frighted with this sight, ‭ About the prominent windings of the flood.”

bliss ×10 Webster 1828

noun The highest degree of happiness; blessedness; felicity; used of felicity in general, when of an exalted kind, but appropriately, of heavenly joys.

“‭ As now Saturnius, through his life’s whole date, ‭ Hath Nestor’s bliss rais’d to as steep a state, ‭ Both in his age to keep in peace his house, ‭ And to have children wise and valorous.”

neighbour ×10 Modern

1. (noun) a nearby object of the same kind 2. (noun) a person who lives (or is located) near another 3. (verb) be located near or adjacent to

“‭ Mean space, the high huge house with feast did flow ‭ Of friends and neighbours, joying with the king.”

deduction ×10 Webster 1828

noun 1. The act of deducting. 2. That which is deducted; sum or amount taken from another; defalcation; abatement; as, this sum is a deduction from the yearly rent. 3.

“‭ And therefore hear me, guest, and take such way, ‭ That you yourself may compass, in your stay, ‭ Your quick deduction by my father’s grace, ‭ And means to reach the root of all your race.”

excite ×10 Webster 1828

verb transitive [Latin excito; ex and cito, to cite, to call or provoke.] 1. To rouse; to call into action; to animate; to stir up; to cause to act that which is dormant, stupid or inactive; as, to…

“‭ And hither Pallas flew, and left the maid, ‭ When she had all that might excite her said.”

jointly ×9 Webster 1828

adverb Together; unitedly; in concert; with cooperation. 1. With union of interest; as, to be jointly concerned in a voyage.

“‭ In Lacedæmon now, the nurse of whales, [1] ‭ These two arriv’d, and found at festivals, ‭ With mighty concourse, the renownéd king, ‭ His son and daughter jointly marrying.”

lent ×9 Webster 1828

participle passive of lend. LENT, noun The quadragesimal fast, or fast of forty days observed by the christian church before Easter, the festival of our Savior's resurrection.

“The sceptre-bearers lent ‭ Their free attendance; and with all speed went ‭ The herald for the sacred man-in-song.”

needy ×9 Webster 1828

adjective Necessitous; indigent; very poor; distressed by want of the means of living. To relieve the needy and comfort the afflicted, are duties that fall in our way every day. Spare the blushes of…

“From Jove come [7] ‭ All strangers, and the needy of a home, ‭ Who any gift, though ne’er so small it be, ‭ Esteem as great, and take it gratefully.”

cuff ×9 Webster 1828

noun [Latin , Gr.] 1. A blow with the fist; a stroke; a box. 2. It is used of fowls that fight with their talons. To be at fisty-cuffs, to fight with blows of the fist. CUFF, verb transitive To stri…

“‭ About him flew the clamours of the dead ‭ Like fowls, and still stoop’d cuffing at his head.”

despise ×9 Webster 1828

.verb intransitive 1. To contemn; to scorn; to disdain; to have the lowest opinion of. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7. Else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.

“And yet for all this, naked Virtue lov’d, Honours without her he as abject prizes, And foolish Fame, deriv’d from thence, despises.”

felicity ×9 Webster 1828

noun [Latin felicitas, from felix, happy.] 1. Happiness, or rather great happiness; blessedness; blissfulness; appropriately, the joys of heaven. 2.

“In which I conclude, ‭ That industry nor wisdom make endued ‭ Men with those gifts that make them best to th’ eye; ‭ Jove only orders man’s felicity.”

hatch ×8 Webster 1828

verb transitive 1. To produce young from eggs by incubation, or by artificial heat. In Egypt, chickens are hatched by artificial heat. The partridge sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not.

“And then hurl’d here and there ‭ Was all our navy; the rude winds did tear ‭ In three, in four parts, all their sails; and down ‭ Driv’n under hatches were we, prest to drown.”

wan ×8 Webster 1828

adjective Pale; having a sickly hue; languid of look. Sad to view, his visage pale and wan Why so pale and wan fond lover? WAN, for won; preterit tense of win.

“‭ The much-sustaining, patient, heav’nly man, ‭ Whom Toil and Sleep had worn so weak and wan, [1] ‭ Thus won his rest.”

undertake ×8 Webster 1828

verb transitive preterit tense undertook; participle passive undertaken. [under and take.] 1. To engage in; to enter upon; to take in hand; to begin to perform.

“But, to undertake ‭ The Wooers’ war, I wish your utmost speed, ‭ Especially if you could cheer the deed ‭ With some ostent from Jove.””

comprehend ×8 Webster 1828

verb transitive Literally, to take in; to take with, or together. 1. To contain; to include; to comprise. The empire of Great Britain comprehends England, Scotland and Ireland, with their dependencie…

fluent ×8 Webster 1828

adjective [See Fluency. 1. Liquid; flowing. 2. Flowing; passing. Motion being a fluent thing. 3.

“She in th’ Ortygian groves, ‭ And he in cliffy Delos, leaning on ‭ The lofty Oros, and being built upon ‭ By Cynthus’ prominent, that his head rears ‭ Close to the palm that Inops’ fluent cheers.”

outward ×8 Webster 1828

adjective [Latin versus.] 1. External; exterior; forming the superficial part; as the outward coat of an onion; an outward garment. 2. External; visible; opposed to inward; as outward hate. 3.

“‭ _To cold-bath-bathers hurtful is the wind,_ ‭ Not only rugged making th’ outward skin, ‭ But by his thin pow’rs pierceth parts within.”

singular ×7 Webster 1828

adjective [Latin singularis, from singulus, single.] 1. Single; not complex or compound. That idea which represents one determinate thing, is called a singular idea, whether simple, complex or compo…

“New York: Published by Charles Scribner’s Sons TO THE MOST WORTHILY HONOURED, MY SINGULAR GOOD LORD, ROBERT, EARL OF SOMERSET, LORD CHAMBERLAIN, ETC.”

remembrance ×7 Webster 1828

noun 1. The retaining or having in mind an idea which had been present before, or an idea which had been previously received from an object when present, and which recurs to the mind afterwards witho…

“’Tis a praise of his, ‭ Still giv’n in your remembrance, when at home ‭ Our speech concerns you.”

cushion ×7 Webster 1828

noun 1. A pillow for a seat; a soft pad to be placed on a chair; a bag, stuffed with wool, hair or other soft material. 2.

“It shews not decently, ‭ Nor doth your honour what you see admit, ‭ That this your guest should thus abjectly sit, ‭ His chair the earth, the hearth his cushion, ‭ Ashes as if appos’d for food.”

sparkling ×7 Webster 1828

participle present tense or adjective Emitting sparks; glittering; lively; as sparkling wine; sparkling eyes.

“‭ By this time Pallas with the sparkling eyes, ‭ And he she led, within the haven bore, ‭ Struck sail, cast anchor, and trod both the shore, ‭ She first, he after.”

annoy ×7 Webster 1828

verb transitive [Latin neceo, to hurt, that is, to strike; neco, to kill. To incommode; to injure or disturb by continued or repeated acts; to tease, vex or molest; as, to annoy an army by impeding…

“‭ Sometimes I breathe my woes, for in annoy ‭ The pleasure soon admits satiety.”

privy ×7 Webster 1828

adjective [Latin privus. See Private.] 1. Private; pertaining to some person exclusively; assigned to private uses; not public; as the privy purse; the privy confer of a king. 2.

“To one then so admir’d, ‭ Eurymedusa was esteem’d no worse ‭ Than worth the gift; yet now, grown old, was nurse ‭ To ivory-arm’d Nausicaa, gave heat ‭ To all her fires, and dress’d her privy meat.”

unfold ×7 Webster 1828

verb intransitive 1. To open folds; to expand; to spread out. 2. To open any thing covered or close; to lay open to view or contemplation; to disclose; to reveal; as, to unfold one's designs; to unfol…

“But unfold the cause, ‭ Why, ’gainst similitude’s most equal laws ‭ Observed in friendship, thou mak’st me thy friend?”

Rung 3b — Chapman’s Own Tongue

gainst ×38 Webster 1828

'GAINST. [See Against.]

“‭ _Tis best to be at home, harm lurks abroad._ ‭ And certainly thy virtue shall be known, ‭ ’Gainst great-ill-causing incantation ‭ To serve as for a lance or amulet.”

nuptials ×31 Webster 1828

noun plural Marriage, which see.

“‭ All this perform’d, and celebration then ‭ Of honour’d nuptials, that by God and men ‭ Are held in reverence.””

wreak ×28 Webster 1828

verb transitive [G. The sense is to drive or throw, to dash with violence.] 1. To execute; to inflict; to hurl or drive; as, to wreak vengeance on an enemy. On me let death wreak all his rage. 2.

“‭ Their follies, yet, and madness borne by me, ‭ Shall by some pow’r be thought on futurely, ‭ To wreak of him whoever, whose tongue sought ‭ With false impair my fall.”

nought ×28 Webster 1828

NOUGHT. See Naught.

“‭ But see not thou whatever thou dost see, ‭ Nor hear though hear, but all as touching me ‭ Conceal, since nought it can endamage thee.””

blest ×27 Webster 1828

participle passive of bless. BLEST, adjective Made happy. 1. Making happy; cheering. While these blest sounds my rafish'd ear assail.

“Artizan so blest, ‭ That all things thou canst do in anyone!”

strook ×27 Webster 1828

for struck. [Not in use.]

“‭ Which Phœbus into laughter turn’d, and grew ‭ Pleasant past measure; tunes so artful clear ‭ Strook even his heart-strings, and his mind made hear.”

scape ×25 Webster 1828

verb transitive To escape; a contracted word, not now used except in poetry, and with a mark of elision. [See Escape.] SCAPE, noun 1. An escape. [See Escape.] 2. Means of escape; evasion. 3.

“Crafty mate, ‭ What other scape canst thou excogitate?”

lute ×23 Webster 1828

noun [Latin laudo.] An instrument of music with strings. It consists of four parts, viz; the table, the body or belly which has nine or ten sides, the neck, which has nine or ten stops or divisions…

“‭ Thee, that thy lute mak’st sound so to thy beams, ‭ Thee, first and last, the sweet-voic’d singer still ‭ Sings, for thy song’s all-songs-transcending skill.”

twixt ×22 Webster 1828

a contraction of betwixt, used in poetry.

“‭ Joy to the Jove-got then, and Maia’s care, ‭ ’Twixt men and Gods the general Messenger, ‭ Giver of good grace, gladness, and the flood ‭ Of all that men or Gods account their good!”

aloft ×22 Webster 1828

adverb [a and loft. See Loft and Luff.] 1. On high; in the air; high above the ground; as, the eagle soars aloft 2.

“The lute Apollo took ‭ Into his left hand, and aloft he shook ‭ Delightsome sounds up, to which God did sing.”

fane ×22 Webster 1828

noun [Latin fanum.] a temple; a place consecrated to religion; a church; used in poetry. From men their cities, and from gods their fanes.

“‭ When, going on fore-right, he straight arrived ‭ At his rich fane; his soft feet quite deprived ‭ Of all least noise of one that trod the earth, ‭ They trod so swift to reach his room of birth.”

rout ×21 Webster 1828

noun 1. A rabble; a clamorous multitude; a tumultuous crowd; as a rout of people assembled. The endless routs of wretched thralls. 2.

“‭ Broad Heaven above it, and beneath, your birth, ‭ The deified Titanois, that dwell about ‭ Vast Tartarus, from whence sprung all the rout ‭ Of Men and Deities!”

betwixt ×21 Webster 1828

preposition 1. Between; in the space that separates two persons or things; as, betwixt two oaks. 2. Passing between; from one to another, noting intercourse. [See Between.]

“But be the sentence yours ‭ Of the debate betwixt us, or to Jove ‭ (For more indifferency) the cause remove.””

swain ×21 Webster 1828

noun 1. A young man. 2. A country servant employed in husbandry. 3. A pastoral youth. [It is used chiefly in this sense, and in poetry.] Blest swains! whose nymphs in every grace excel.

“‭ The swain the King led after, who came on ‭ Raggéd and wretched, and still lean’d upon ‭ A borrow’d staff.”

far-off ×19 Webster 1913

1. Remote] as, the far-off distance. Cf. Far-off, under Far, adv.

“‭ If all we Wooers here would give as much ‭ As my mind serves, his [4] largess should be such ‭ As would for three months serve his far-off way ‭ From troubling your house with more cause of stay.””

deified ×19 Webster 1828

participle passive Exalted or ranked among the gods; regarded or praised as divine.

“‭ Hail, then, Great Mother of the Deified Kind, ‭ Wife to the cope of stars!”

prease ×19 Webster 1828

noun Press; crowd. [Not used. See Press.]

“‭ I well may doubt the prease of strangers here, ‭ Who, bent to ill, and only my nerves near, ‭ May do it in despite.”

prise ×19 Webster 1913

1. An enterprise. 2. See Prize, n., 5. Also Prize, v. t.

“‭ This said, the mast and mainsail up he drew, ‭ And in the mainsail’s midst a frank gale blew; ‭ When all his ship took arms to brave their prise.”

conceit ×18 Webster 1828

noun [Latin , to take or seize.] 1. Conception; that which is conceived, imagined, or formed in the mind; idea; thought; image. In laughing there ever precedeth a conceit of somewhat ridiculous, and…

“‭ And thee mine eye makes my conceit inclined ‭ To reckon powerful both in form and mind, ‭ A sceptre-bearer, and past others far ‭ Advanc’d in all the fiery fights of war.”

amaze ×18 Webster 1828

verb transitive To confound with fear, sudden surprise, or wonder; to astonish. They shall be afraid; they shall be amazed at one another. Isaiah 13:8. They were all amazed and glorified God.

“All th’ Immortals stood ‭ In steep amaze to see Latona’s brood.”

spleen ×17 Webster 1828

noun [Latin , Gr.] 1. The milt; a soft part of the viscera of animals, whose use is not well understood. The ancients supposed this to be the seat of melancholy, anger or vexation. Hence, 2.

“said she, ‭ “I never can take grief enough for thee, ‭ Whom Goodness hurts, and whom ev’n Jove’s high spleen, ‭ Since thou art Jove-like, hates the most of men.”

sleight ×17 Webster 1828

noun slite. 1. An artful trick; sly artifice; a trick or feat so dexterously performed that the manner of performance escapes observation; as sleight of hand. 2. Dexterous practice; dexterity.

“‭ And without Truth, all’s only sleight of hand, ‭ Or our law-learning in a foreign land, ‭ Embroidery spent on cobwebs, braggart show ‭ Of men that all things learn, and nothing know.”

nuptial ×17 Webster 1828

adjective [Latin , to marry.] 1. Pertaining to marriage; done at a wedding; as nuptial rites and ceremonies; nuptial torch. 2.

“‭ ANOTHER ARGUMENT ‭ _Φι̑._ ‭ The nuptial vow ‭ And game rehears’d, ‭ Drawn is the bow, ‭ The steels are pierc’d.”

ascend ×17 Webster 1828

verb intransitive [Latin ascendo, from scando, to mount or climb.] 1. To move upwards; to mount; to go up; to rise, whether in air or water, or upon a material object. 2.

“Without envy I ‭ Will teach thee to ascend my faculty.”

repose ×17 Webster 1828

verb transitive s as z. [Latin repono, reposui.] 1. To lay at rest. - After the toil of battle, to repose your wearied virtue. 2.

“‭ The servants thus inform’d, the matron goes ‭ Up where the Queen was cast in such repose, ‭ Affected with a fervent joy to tell ‭ What all this time she did with pain conceal.”

observance ×16 Webster 1828

noun s as z. 1. The act of observing; the act of keeping or adhering to in practice; performance; as the observance of rules, rites, ceremonies or laws. Love rigid honesty, and strict observance of i…

“Often will convey ‭ Himself up to a watch-tow’r’s top, where sheep ‭ Have their observance.”

fain ×16 Webster 1828

adjective 1. Glad; pleased; rejoiced. but the appropriate sense of the word is, glad or pleased to do something under some kind of necessity; that is, glad to evade evil or secure good.

“‭ All whose heat flew out of his eyes in flames, ‭ Which fain he would have hid, to hide the shames, ‭ Of his ill-govern’d passions.”

rapt ×15 Webster 1828

participle passive [from rap.] Transported; ravished. RAPT, verb transitive To transport or ravish. [Not legitimate or in use.] RAPT, noun 1. An ecstasy; a trance. 2. Rapidity. [Not in use.]

“‭ Thy death drave a divine voice through the seas ‭ That started up thy mother from the waves; ‭ And all the márine Godheads left their caves, ‭ Consorting to our fleet her rapt repair.”

sable ×15 Webster 1828

noun 1. A small animal of the weasel kind, the mustela zibelina, found in the northern latitudes of America and Asia. It resembles the martin, but has a longer head and ears.

“‭ And where impostors rule (since sable night ‭ Must serve their deeds) he did his deeds their right.”

soever ×15 Webster 1828

so and ever, found in compounds, as in whosoever, whatsoever, wheresoever, See these words. It is sometimes used separate from the pronoun; as, in what things soever you undertake, use diligence and f…

“‭ Kings may perhaps wish even your beggar’s-voice ‭ To their eternities, how scorn’d a choice ‭ Soever now it lies; and (dead) I may ‭ Extend your life to light’s extremest ray.”

odorous ×15 Webster 1828

adjective Sweet of scent; fragrant.

“‭ And so, O Goddess, ever honour’d be, ‭ In thy so odorous Cyprian empery!”

adorn ×15 Webster 1828

verb transitive [Latin adorno, ad and orno, to deck, or beautify, to dress, set off, extol, furnish. 1.

“Admire, nor stand dismay’d, ‭ But know thy solid father; since within ‭ He answers all parts that adorn his skin.”

wrack ×15 Webster 1828

WRECK, noun [See Wreck.] A name given to a marine plant which is of great utility as a manure. It is called sometimes sea-wrack or sea-wreck, and sea-oak and sea-tangle.

“But, for thy perfidy ‭ In this my wrack, Jove bears a wreakful eye; ‭ And to the host of Mice thou pains shalt pay, ‭ Past all evasion.””

ascended ×14 Webster 1828

participle passive or adjective Risen; mounted up; gone to heaven.

“‭ The other other wealthy gifts commended ‭ To her fair hand; which took, and straight ascended ‭ This Goddess of her sex her upper state.”

victuals ×14 Webster 1828

noun vit'lz. [Latin victus, food, from the root of vivo, which was vigo or vico, coinciding with vigeo. Basque, vicia life.

“Must not your needs aid these Mice, ‭ That, with the odours and meat sacrifice ‭ Used in your temple, endless triumphs make, ‭ And serve you for your sacred victuals’ sake?””

prest ×14 Webster 1828

sometimes used for pressed. [See Press.] PREST, adjective [Latin proesto, to stand before or forward; proe and sto.] 1. Ready; prompt. 2. Neat; tight. PREST, noun A loan. 1.

“‭ And therefore when I saw myself so prest ‭ With his reproaches, I confess I burn’d ‭ In my pure gall, and harsh reply return’d.”

withal ×14 Webster 1828

adverb Withaul. [with and all.] 1. With the rest; together with; likewise; at the same time. If you choose that, then I am yours withal How modest in exception, and withal how terrible in constant r…

““You wore all the soil ‭ Of age but now, and were old; and but now ‭ You bear that young grace that the Gods indow ‭ Their heav’n-born forms withal.””

piety ×13 Webster 1828

noun [Latin pietas, from pius, or its root, probably a contracted word.] 1. piety in principle, is a compound of veneration or reverence of the Supreme Being and love of his character, or veneration…

“‭ _It is no piety to bemoan the proud,_ ‭ Though ends befall them moving ne’er so much, ‭ These are the portions of the Gods to such.”

impious ×13 Webster 1828

adjective [Latin impius; in and pius, pious.] 1. Irreverent towards the Supreme Being; wanting in veneration for God and his authority; irreligious; profane.

“‭ Ulysses’ impious men have drawn the blood ‭ Of those my oxen that it did me good ‭ To look on, walking all my starry round, ‭ And when I trod earth all with meadows crown’d.”

caldron ×13 Webster 1828

noun A large kettle or boiler, of copper, or other metal, furnished with a movable handle or bail, with which to hang it on a chimney hook.

“‭ Who, with his standing in so many doors, ‭ Hath broke his back; and all his beggary tends ‭ To beg base crusts, but to no manly ends, ‭ As asking swords, or with activity ‭ To get a caldron.”

gat ×13 Webster 1828

preterit tense of get.

“Their provisións ‭ Were sheep, swine, goats, the chiefly-great and fat, ‭ Besides an ox that from the herd they gat.”

Definitions: Webster’s 1828/1913, Wordset (CC). Texts: Project Gutenberg. ×N = occurrences.