Shakespeare Ready: Macbeth
A graduated vocabulary ladder · prepared by Vocabularium
The ladder. Rung 1: read the Charles and Mary Lamb retelling (3,937 words) and learn its vocabulary. Rung 2: the shared words — vocabulary the retelling and the play have in common, so the retelling pre-teaches the play. Rung 3: the play itself (18,156 words) — first its everyday hard words, then the Bard’s own tongue. Of the play’s study-worthy words, 73 are pre-taught by the retelling.
Rung 1 — Words for the Retelling
Learn these, then enjoy the Charles and Mary Lamb version.
thane ×8 Webster 1828
noun The thanes in England were formerly persons of some dignity; of these there were two orders, the king's thanes, who attended the Saxon and Danish kings in their courts, and held lands immediatel…
“MACBETH When Duncan the Meek reigned king of Scotland, there lived a great thane, or lord, called Macbeth.”
groom ×7 Webster 1828
Gally-worm
Germ
Gram
Grim
Grime
Grimy
Gromwell
Grum
Grume
“The king being tired with his journey, went early to bed, and in his state-room two grooms of his chamber (as was the custom) slept beside him.”
dagger ×7 Webster 1828
noun
1. A short sword; a poniard.
2. In fencing schools, a blunt blade of iron with a basket hilt, used for defense.
3.
“So with her own hands armed with a dagger, she approached the king's bed; having taken care to ply the grooms of his chamber so with wine, that they slept intoxicated, and careless of their charge.”
deed ×6 Webster 1828
noun
1. That which is done, acted or effected; an act; a fact; a word of extensive application, including whatever is done, good or bad, great or small.
And Joseph said to them, what deed is this whi…
“She would not have undertaken a deed so abhorrent to her sex, but that she feared her husband's nature, that it was too full of the milk of human kindness, to do a contrived murder.”
dreadful ×5 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Impressing great fear; terrible; formidable; as a dreadful storm, or dreadful night.
The great and dreadful day of the Lord. Malachi 4:5.
2.
“To such dreadful fancies Macbeth was subject.”
murderer ×4 Webster 1828
noun A person who in possession of his reason, unlawfully kills a human being with premeditated malice.
1. A small piece of ordnance.
“Now was the middle of night, when over half the world nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse men's minds asleep, and none but the wolf and the murderer is abroad.”
arose ×4 Webster 1828
The past or preterit tense of the verb, to arise.
“Thou shalt not live; that I may tell pale-hearted Fear it lies, and sleep in spite of thunder.' That spirit being dismissed, a third arose in the form of a child crowned, with a tree in his hand.”
tyrant ×4 Webster 1828
noun [Latin tyrannus.]
stain ×3 Webster 1828
verb transitive [Latin , a sprinkle, a spread, a layer; to spread, expand, sprinkle, or be scattered. Gr.]
1.
“Besides, by the favours of the king, Macbeth stood high in the opinion of all sorts of men, and how would those honours be stained by the reputation of so foul a murder!”
nobility ×3 Webster 1828
noun
1. Dignity of mind; greatness; grandeur; that elevation of soul which comprehends bravery, generosity, magnamimity, intrepidity, and contempt of every thing that dishonors character.
Though she…
“These and such-like deeds alienated the minds of all his chief nobility from him.”
hostess ×3 Webster 1828
noun A female host; a woman who entertains guests at her house.
1. A woman who keeps an inn.
velour ×3 Modern
1. (noun) heavy fabric that resembles velvet
“And with the velour of her tongue she so chastised his sluggish resolutions, that he once more summoned up courage to the bloody business.”
posterity ×3 Webster 1828
noun [Latin posteritas, from posterus, from post, after.]
1. Descendants; children, children's children, etc. indefinitely; the race that proceeds from a progenitor.
despair ×2 Webster 1828
noun
1. Hopelessness; a hopeless state; a destitution of hope or expectation.
We are perplexed, but not in despair 2 Corinthians 4:8.
All safety in despair of safety placed.
2.
deeds ×2 Modern
1. (noun) performance of moral or religious acts
“These and such-like deeds alienated the minds of all his chief nobility from him.”
heath ×2 Webster 1828
noun
1. A plant of the genus Erica, of many species. It is a shrub which is used in Great Britain for brooms, thatch, beds for the poor, and for heating ovens.
bind ×2 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.
“By these charms they bound the infernal spirits to answer their questions.”
supper ×2 Webster 1828
noun The evening meal. People who dine late, eat no supper The dinner of fashionable people would be the supper of rustics.
“For this purpose they made a great supper, to which they invited all the chief thanes; and, among the rest, with marks of particular respect, Banquo and his son Fleance were invited.”
prophecy ×2 Webster 1828
noun [Gr. to foretell, before and to tell. This ought to be written prophesy.]
1. A foretelling; prediction; a declaration of something to come.
“She spurred on the reluctant purpose of Macbeth, who felt compunction at the thoughts of blood, and did not cease to represent the murder of the king as a step absolutely necessary to the fulfilment of the flattering prophecy.”
salute ×2 Webster 1828
verb transitive [Latin saluto; salus or salvus.]
1. To greet; to hail; to address with expressions of kind wishes.
If ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Matthew 5:47.
2.
“Macbeth first addressed them, when they, seemingly offended, laid each one her choppy finger upon her skinny lips, in token of silence; and the first of them saluted Macbeth with the title of thane of Glamis.”
accomplishment ×2 Webster 1828
noun
1. Completion; fulfillment; entire performance; as the accomplishment of a prophecy.
2.
“Macbeth had a wife, to whom he communicated the strange prediction of the weird sisters, and its partial accomplishment.”
greeting ×2 Webster 1828
participle present tense Addressing with kind wishes or expressions of joy; complimenting; congratulating; saluting.
GREE'TING, noun Expression of kindness or joy; salutation at meeting; compliment…
“king that shalt be hereafter!' Such a prophetic greeting might well amaze him, who knew that while the king's sons lived he could not hope to succeed to the throne.”
crowned ×2 Webster 1828
participle passive Invested with a crown, or with regal power and dignity; honored; dignified; rewarded with a crown, wreath, garland or distinction; recompensed; terminated; completed; perfected.
“The king's sons, who should have succeeded him, having thus vacated the throne, Macbeth as next heir was crowned king, and thus the prediction of the weird sisters was literally accomplished.”
careless ×2 Webster 1828
adjective [care and less. See Loose.]
1. Having no care; heedless; negligent; unthinking; inattentive; regardless; unmindful; followed by of or about; as a careless mother; a mother careless of or ab…
“So with her own hands armed with a dagger, she approached the king's bed; having taken care to ply the grooms of his chamber so with wine, that they slept intoxicated, and careless of their charge.”
serpent ×2 Webster 1828
noun [Latin serpens, creeping; serpo, to creep.]
1. An animal of the order of Serpentes, [creepers, crawlers, ] Of the class of Amphibia.
vanish ×2 Webster 1828
verb intransitive [Latin vanesco, vanus, vain, or its root; Eng. to wane. The primary sense is to withdraw or depart.
1.
“They then turned into air, and vanished: by which the generals knew them to be the weird sisters, or witches.”
likeness ×2 Webster 1828
noun
1. Resemblance in form; similitude. The picture is a good likeness of the original.
2. Resemblance; form; external appearance. Guard against an enemy in the likeness of a friend.
3.
“And the first arose in the likeness of an armed head, and he called Macbeth by name, and bid him beware of the thane of Fife; for which caution Macbeth thanked him; for Macbeth had entertained a jealousy of Macduff, the thane of Fife.”
afflicted ×2 Webster 1828
participle passive Affected with continued or often repeated pain, either of body or mind; suffering grief or distress, of any kind; followed by at, by or with; as, afflicted at the loss of a child,…
trembling ×2 Webster 1828
participle present tense Shaking, as with fear, cold or weakness; quaking; shivering.
“Though Macbeth was a bold man, and one that could have faced the devil without trembling, at this horrible sight his cheeks turned white with fear, and he stood quite unmanned with his eyes fixed upon the ghost.”
kinsman ×2 Webster 1828
noun [kin and man.] A man of the same race or family; one related by blood.
“This Macbeth was a near kinsman to the king, and in great esteem at court for his velour and conduct in the wars; an example of which he had lately given, in defeating a rebel army assisted by the troops of Norway in terrible numbers.”
confer ×2 Webster 1828
verb intransitive [Latin , to bear, to bring forth, to show, to declare. See Bear.] To discourse; to converse; to consult together; implying conversation on some serious or important subject, in dist…
oftentimes ×2 Webster 1828
adverb of'ntimes. [often and times.] Frequently; often; many times.
undertaken ×2 Webster 1828
participle passive of undertake. The work was undertaken at his own expense.
“She would not have undertaken a deed so abhorrent to her sex, but that she feared her husband's nature, that it was too full of the milk of human kindness, to do a contrived murder.”
doubly ×2 Webster 1828
adverb In twice the quantity; to twice the degree; as doubly wise or good; to be doubly sensible of an obligation.
reproached ×2 Webster 1828
participle passive Censured in terms of contempt; upbraided.
infernal ×2 Webster 1828
adjective [Latin infernus.]
1. Properly, pertaining to the lower regions, or regions of the dead, the Tartarus of the ancients. Hence,
2.
“By these charms they bound the infernal spirits to answer their questions.”
cauldron ×2 Modern
1. (noun) a very large pot that is used for boiling
vanquished ×2 Webster 1828
participle passive Overcome in battle; subdued; defeated.
“He called Macbeth by name, and comforted him against conspiracies, saying, that he should never be vanquished, until the wood of Birnam to Dunsinane Hill should come against him.”
envy ×1 Webster 1828
verb transitive [Latin invideo, in and video, to see against, that is, to look with enmity.]
1.
instructed ×1 Webster 1828
participle passive Taught; informed; trained up; educated.
“When the besieging army marched through the wood of Birnam, Malcolm, like a skilful general, instructed his soldiers to hew down every one a bough and bear it before him, by way of concealing the true numbers of his host.”
Rung 2 — Shared Vocabulary
Words you’ll meet in both the retelling and the play — double value.
murderer ×43 Webster 1828
noun A person who in possession of his reason, unlawfully kills a human being with premeditated malice.
1. A small piece of ordnance.
“Lords, Gentlemen, Officers, Soldiers, Murderers, Attendants, and Messengers.”
thane ×25 Webster 1828
noun The thanes in England were formerly persons of some dignity; of these there were two orders, the king's thanes, who attended the Saxon and Danish kings in their courts, and held lands immediatel…
“The Thane of Fife had a wife; where is she now?--What, will these hands ne'er be clean?”
deed ×15 Webster 1828
noun
1. That which is done, acted or effected; an act; a fact; a word of extensive application, including whatever is done, good or bad, great or small.
And Joseph said to them, what deed is this whi…
“He's here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed: then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself.”
dagger ×10 Webster 1828
noun
1. A short sword; a poniard.
2. In fencing schools, a blunt blade of iron with a basket hilt, used for defense.
3.
“Will it not be receiv'd, When we have mark'd with blood those sleepy two Of his own chamber, and us'd their very daggers, That they have don't?”
tyrant ×9 Webster 1828
noun [Latin tyrannus.]
“This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our tongues, Was once thought honest: you have loved him well; He hath not touch'd you yet.”
gracious ×7 Webster 1828
adjective [Latin gratiosus.]
1. Favorable; kind; friendly; as, the envoy met with a gracious reception.
2.
“The gracious Duncan Was pitied of Macbeth:--marry, he was dead:-- And the right valiant Banquo walk'd too late; Whom, you may say, if't please you, Fleance kill'd, For Fleance fled.”
royalty ×6 Webster 1828
noun
1. Kingship; the character, state or office of a king.
Royalty by birth was the sweetest way of majesty.
2. Royalties, plural emblems of royalty; regalia.
3. Rights of a king; prerogatives.
“If you don't derive profits, no royalty is due.”
treason ×5 Webster 1828
noun tree'zn. [Latin traho. See Draw and Drag.]
TREASON is the highest crime of a civil nature of which a man can be guilty. Its signification is different in different countries.
“Faith, here's an equivocator, that could swear in both the scales against either scale, who committed treason enough for God's sake, yet could not equivocate to heaven: O, come in, equivocator.”
hostess ×5 Webster 1828
noun A female host; a woman who entertains guests at her house.
1. A woman who keeps an inn.
“See, see, our honour'd hostess!-- The love that follows us sometime is our trouble, Which still we thank as love.”
heath ×4 Webster 1828
noun
1. A plant of the genus Erica, of many species. It is a shrub which is used in Great Britain for brooms, thatch, beds for the poor, and for heating ovens.
“Upon the heath.”
pronounce ×4 Webster 1828
verb transitive pronouns'. [Latin pronuncio; pro and nuncio.]
1. To speak; to utter articulately. The child is not able to pronounce words composed of difficult combinations of letters.
“No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive Our bosom interest:--go pronounce his present death, And with his former title greet Macbeth.”
vanish ×4 Webster 1828
verb intransitive [Latin vanesco, vanus, vain, or its root; Eng. to wane. The primary sense is to withdraw or depart.
1.
“[Witches vanish.] SCENE II.”
boil ×3 Webster 1828
verb intransitive [Latin bullio, bulla, a bubble.]
1. To swell, heave, or be agitated by the action of heat; to bubble; to rise in bubbles; as, the water boils.
“Round about the caldron go; In the poison'd entrails throw.-- Toad, that under cold stone, Days and nights has thirty-one Swelter'd venom sleeping got, Boil thou first i' the charmed pot!”
deeds ×3 Modern
1. (noun) performance of moral or religious acts
“These deeds must not be thought After these ways; so, it will make us mad.”
supper ×3 Webster 1828
noun The evening meal. People who dine late, eat no supper The dinner of fashionable people would be the supper of rustics.
“To-night we hold a solemn supper, sir, And I'll request your presence.”
greatness ×3 Webster 1828
noun Largeness of bulk, dimensions, number or quantity; as the greatness of a mountain, of an edifice, of a multitude, or of a sum of money.
“We have willing dames enough; there cannot be That vulture in you, to devour so many As will to greatness dedicate themselves, Finding it so inclin'd.”
spur ×3 Webster 1828
noun
1. An instrument having a rowel or little wheel with sharp points, worn on horsemens heels, to prick the horses for hastening their pace.
Girt with rusty sword and spur
Hence, to set spurs to a…
“We cours'd him at the heels, and had a purpose To be his purveyor: but he rides well; And his great love, sharp as his spur, hath holp him To his home before us.”
groom ×3 Webster 1828
Gally-worm
Germ
Gram
Grim
Grime
Grimy
Gromwell
Grum
Grume
“He is about it: The doors are open; and the surfeited grooms Do mock their charge with snores: I have drugg'd their possets That death and nature do contend about them, Whether they live or die.”
haste ×3 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.
“What a haste looks through his eyes!”
malice ×3 Webster 1828
noun [Latin malitia, from malus, evil.] Extreme enmity of heart, or malevolence; a disposition to injure others without cause, from mere personal gratification or from a spirit of revenge; unprovoked…
“Fears and scruples shake us: In the great hand of God I stand; and thence, Against the undivulg'd pretense I fight Of treasonous malice.”
horrid ×3 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.
“I am Thane of Cawdor: If good, why do I yield to that suggestion Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, Against the use of nature?”
despair ×2 Webster 1828
noun
1. Hopelessness; a hopeless state; a destitution of hope or expectation.
We are perplexed, but not in despair 2 Corinthians 4:8.
All safety in despair of safety placed.
2.
“Despair thy charm; And let the angel whom thou still hast serv'd Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother's womb Untimely ripp'd.”
bind ×2 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.
ingredient ×2 Webster 1828
noun [Latin ingrediens, entering into; ingredior; in and gradior. See Grade.]
That which enters into a compound, or is a component part of any compound or mixture.
“But in these cases We still have judgement here; that we but teach Bloody instructions, which being taught, return To plague the inventor: this even-handed justice Commends the ingredients of our poison'd chalice To our own lips.”
sleepy ×2 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Drowsy; inclined to sleep.
2. Not awake. She wak'd her sleep crew.
3. Tending to induce sleep; soporiferous; somniferous; as a sleepy drink or potion.
“Will it not be receiv'd, When we have mark'd with blood those sleepy two Of his own chamber, and us'd their very daggers, That they have don't?”
dreadful ×2 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Impressing great fear; terrible; formidable; as a dreadful storm, or dreadful night.
The great and dreadful day of the Lord. Malachi 4:5.
2.
“Threescore and ten I can remember well: Within the volume of which time I have seen Hours dreadful and things strange; but this sore night Hath trifled former knowings.”
earnest ×2 Webster 1828
adjective ern'est.
1. Ardent in the pursuit of an object; eager to obtain; having a longing desire; warmly engaged or incited.
They are never more earnest to disturb us, than when they see us most ea…
“And, for an earnest of a greater honor, He bade me, from him, call thee Thane of Cawdor: In which addition, hail, most worthy thane, For it is thine.”
honours ×2 Modern
1. (noun) a university degree with honors
sway ×2 Webster 1828
verb transitive
1. To move or wave; to wield with the hand; as, to sway the scepter.
2. To bias; to cause to lean or incline to one side. Let not temporal advantages sway you from the line of duty.
“He that's coming Must be provided for: and you shall put This night's great business into my despatch; Which shall to all our nights and days to come Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.”
famine ×2 Webster 1828
noun [Latin fames.]
1. Scarcity of food; dearth; a general want of provisions sufficient for the inhabitants of a country or besieged place.
There was a famine in the land. Genesis 26:1.
2.
“our castle's strength Will laugh a siege to scorn: here let them lie Till famine and the ague eat them up: Were they not forc'd with those that should be ours, We might have met them dareful, beard to beard, And beat them backward home.”
weary ×2 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Having the strength much exhausted by toil or violent exertion; tired; fatigued.
“And I another, So weary with disasters, tugg'd with fortune, That I would set my life on any chance, To mend it or be rid on't.”
haunt ×2 Webster 1828
verb transitive
1. To frequent; to resort to much or often, or to be much about; to visit customarily.
Celestial Venus haunts Idalia's groves.
2.
“If thou be'st slain and with no stroke of mine, My wife and children's ghosts will haunt me still.”
serpent ×2 Webster 1828
noun [Latin serpens, creeping; serpo, to creep.]
1. An animal of the order of Serpentes, [creepers, crawlers, ] Of the class of Amphibia.
“Thanks for that: There the grown serpent lies; the worm that's fled Hath nature that in time will venom breed, No teeth for the present.--Get thee gone; to-morrow We'll hear, ourselves, again.”
gall ×2 Webster 1828
noun [Gr. probably from its color.]
1. In the animal economy, the bile, a bitter, a yellowish green fluid, secreted in the glandular substance of the liver.
“Come to my woman's breasts, And take my milk for gall, your murdering ministers, Wherever in your sightless substances You wait on nature's mischief!”
merciful ×2 Webster 1828
adjective [from mercy.] Having or exercising mercy; compassionate; tender; disposed to pity offenders and to forgive their offenses; unwilling to punish for injuries; applied appropriately to the Sup…
kinsman ×2 Webster 1828
noun [kin and man.] A man of the same race or family; one related by blood.
“He's here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed: then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself.”
cauldron ×2 Modern
1. (noun) a very large pot that is used for boiling
“And now about the cauldron sing, Like elves and fairies in a ring, Enchanting all that you put in.”
slaughter ×1 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.
“naught that I am, Not for their own demerits, but for mine, Fell slaughter on their souls: heaven rest them now!”
accompany ×1 Webster 1828
verb transitive [See Company.]
1. To go with or attend as a companion or associate on a journey, walk, etc.; as a man accompanies his friend to church, or on a tour.
2.
assurance ×1 Webster 1828
noun ashu'rance. [Latin verus; or securus, contracted.]
1. The act of assuring, or of making a declaration in terms that furnish ground of confidence; as, I trusted to his assurances; or the act of…
“But yet I'll make assurance double sure, And take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live; That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies, And sleep in spite of thunder.--What is this, [Thunder.”
Rung 3a — The Play’s Everyday Words
Ordinary English the play uses that the retelling skips.
sorrow ×9 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.
“Nor our strong sorrow Upon the foot of motion.”
highness ×9 Webster 1828
noun hi'ness. Elevation above the surface; loftiness; altitude; highth.
1. Dignity; elevation in rank, character or power.
2. Excellence; value.
3. Violence; as the highness of wind.
4.
“Your highness' part Is to receive our duties: and our duties Are to your throne and state, children and servants; Which do but what they should, by doing everything Safe toward your love and honor.”
traitor ×8 Webster 1828
noun [Latin traditor; trado, to deliver.]
1. One who violates his allegiance and betrays his country; one guilty of treason; one who, in breach of trust, delivers his country to its enemy, or any fo…
“He had none: His flight was madness: when our actions do not, Our fears do make us traitors.”
anon ×7 Webster 1828
adverb
1. Quickly; without intermission:soon; immediately.
The same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it. Matthew 13:20.
2.
“Paddock calls:--anon:-- Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air.”
distribute ×5 Webster 1828
verb transitive [Latin , to give or divide.]
1. To divide among two or more; to deal; to give or bestow in parts or portions. Moses distributed lands to the tribes of Israel.
“It also tells you how you can distribute copies of this etext if you want to.”
bleed ×5 Webster 1828
verb intransitive preterit tense and participle passive bled.
1. To lose blood; to run with blood, by whatever means; as, the arm bleeds.
2.
“If he do bleed, I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal, For it must seem their guilt.”
torch ×4 Webster 1828
noun [Latin torqueo, tortus.] A light or luminary formed of some combustible substance, as of resinous wood or of candles.
They light the nuptial torch
“[Hautboys and torches.”
alas ×4 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…
“Woe, alas!”
remembrance ×4 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…
“My young remembrance cannot parallel A fellow to it.”
brow ×4 Webster 1828
noun [Latin palpebra.. It is probably contracted from brg, and signifies an edge, border or projection.]
1. The prominent ridge over the eye, forming an arch above the orbit.
“An Apparition of a Child crowned, with a tree in his hand, rises.] That rises like the issue of a king, And wears upon his baby brow the round And top of sovereignty?”
slain ×4 Webster 1828
participle passive of slay; so written for slayen. Killed.
“Those that Macbeth hath slain.”
provoke ×4 Webster 1828
verb transitive [Latin provoco, to call forth; pro and voco, to call.]
1. To call into action; to arouse; to excite; as, to provoke anger or wrath by offensive words or by injury; to provoke war.
2.
“Faith, sir, we were carousing till the second cock: and drink, sir, is a great provoker of three things.”
wrought ×4 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.
“Give me your favor:--my dull brain was wrought With things forgotten.”
valiant ×4 Webster 1828
adjective val'yant. [Latin valeo, to be strong.]
1. Primarily, strong; vigorous in body; as a valiant fencer.
2.
“O valiant cousin!”
filthy ×3 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Dirty; foul; unclean; nasty.
2. Polluted; defiled by sinful practices; morally impure.
He that is filthy let him be filthy still. Revelation 22:11.
3.
“Paddock calls:--anon:-- Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air.”
behold ×3 Webster 1828
verb transitive preterit tense and participle passive beheld' [Latin observo, from servo, to keep.]
1.
“behold!”
greet ×3 Webster 1828
verb transitive [Latin rudo, to bray, to roar.]
1. To address with expressions of kind wishes; to salute in kindness and respect.
My lord, the Mayor if London comes to greet you.
2.
“No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive Our bosom interest:--go pronounce his present death, And with his former title greet Macbeth.”
revolt ×3 Webster 1828
verb intransitive [Latin revolvo; re and volvo, to turn. Eng. wallow.]
1. To fall off or turn from one to another.
2.
“He can report, As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt The newest state.”
warranty ×3 Webster 1828
noun
1. In law, a promise or covenant by deed, made by the bargainer for himself and his heirs, to warrant or secure the bargainee and his heirs against all men in the enjoyment of an estate or other…
“NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ARE MADE TO YOU AS TO THE ETEXT OR ANY MEDIUM IT MAY BE ON, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.”
bon ×3 Webster 1913
1. Good; valid as security for something.
“Carried to Colme-kill, The sacred storehouse of his predecessors, And guardian of their bones.”
defect ×3 Webster 1828
noun [Latin To fail; to make or do.]
1. Want or absence of something necessary or useful towards perfection; fault; imperfection.
Errors have been corrected, and defects supplied.
We say, there are…
“Being unprepar'd, Our will became the servant to defect; Which else should free have wrought.”
gin ×3 Webster 1828
noun A contraction of Geneva, a distilled spirit. [See Geneva.]
GIN, noun [A contraction of engine.] A machine or instrument by which the mechanical powers are employed in aid of human strength.
“As whence the sun 'gins his reflection Shipwrecking storms and direful thunders break; So from that spring, whence comfort seem'd to come Discomfort swells.”
dire ×3 Webster 1828
adjective [Latin] Dreadful; dismal; horrible; terrible; evil in a great degree.
DIRE was the tossing, deep the groans.
“Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here; And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full Of direst cruelty!”
prick ×3 Webster 1828
verb transitive
1. To pierce with a sharp pointed instrument or substance; as, to prick one with a pin, a needle, a thorn or the like.
2.
“By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:-- Open, locks, whoever knocks!”
banquet ×3 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…
“True, worthy Banquo!--he is full so valiant; And in his commendations I am fed,-- It is a banquet to me.”
madam ×3 Webster 1828
noun An appellation or complimentary title given to married and elderly ladies, or chiefly to them.
“Ay, madam, but returns again to-night.”
tyranny ×3 Webster 1828
noun
1. Arbitrary or despotic exercise of power; the exercise of power over subjects and others with a rigor not authorized by law or justice, or not requisite for the purposes of government.
“Great tyranny, lay thou thy basis sure, For goodness dare not check thee!”
foe ×3 Webster 1828
noun fo. [See Fiend.]
1. An enemy; one who entertains personal enmity, hatred, grudge or malice against another.
A man's foes shall be they of his own household. Matthew 10:36.
2.
“God's benison go with you; and with those That would make good of bad, and friends of foes!”
obedience ×3 Webster 1828
noun [Latin obedientia. See Obey.]
Compliance with a command, prohibition or known law and rule of duty prescribed; the performance of what is required or enjoined by authority, or the abstaining fr…
“Well, march we on, To give obedience where 'tis truly ow'd: Meet we the medicine of the sickly weal; And with him pour we, in our country's purge, Each drop of us.”
unnatural ×3 Webster 1828
adjective
1. Contrary to the laws of nature; contrary to the natural feelings.
2. Acting without the affections of our common nature; as an unnatural father or son.
3.
“'Tis unnatural, Even like the deed that's done.”
summons ×3 Webster 1828
noun with a plural termination, but used in the singular number; as a summons is prepared. [Latin submoneas.]
A call by authority or the command of a superior to appear at a place named, or to atten…
“Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell That summons thee to heaven or to hell.”
applaud ×3 Webster 1828
verb transitive [Latin applaudo; ad and plaudo, to make a noise by clapping the hands; Eng. loud.]
1. To praise by clapping the hands, acclamation, or other significant sign.
2.
“Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, Till thou applaud the deed.”
morrow ×3 Webster 1828
noun
1. The day next after the present.
Till this stormy night is gone,
And th' eternal morrow dawn.
This word is often preceded by on or to.
The Lord did that thing on the morrow Exodus 9:5.…
“O, never Shall sun that morrow see!”
undone ×3 Webster 1828
participle passive
1. Reversed; annulled.
2. Ruined; destroyed.
When the legislature is corrupted, the people are undone
3. adjective Not done; not performed; not executed.
“To bed, to bed; there's knocking at the gate: come, come, come, come, give me your hand: what's done cannot be undone: to bed, to bed, to bed.”
weep ×3 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.
“If he were dead, you'ld weep for him: if you would not, it were a good sign that I should quickly have a new father.”
dar ×3 Webster 1828
DAR or DART, noun A fish found in the Severn.
“I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none.”
readable ×3 Webster 1828
adjective That may be read; fit to be read.
vantage ×3 Webster 1828
noun [Latin venio. See Advantage and Van.]
1. Gain; profit. obsolete
2. Superiority; state in which one has better means of action or defense than another.
“Mark, King of Scotland, mark: No sooner justice had, with valor arm'd, Compell'd these skipping kerns to trust their heels, But the Norweyan lord, surveying vantage, With furbish'd arms and new supplies of men, Began a fresh assault.”
dismal ×3 Webster 1828
adjective s as z. [I am not satisfied with the etymologies of this word which I have seen. ]
1. Dark; gloomy; as a dismal shade.
2.
“I am for the air; this night I'll spend Unto a dismal and a fatal end.”
goose ×2 Webster 1828
noun goos. plural geese.
1. A well known aquatic fowl of the genus Anas; but the domestic goose lives chiefly on land, and feeds on grass.
“Faith, here's an English tailor come hither, for stealing out of a French hose: come in, tailor; here you may roast your goose.-- [Knocking.] Knock, knock: never at quiet!”
heel ×2 Webster 1828
noun [Latin calx; Gr. a tumor.]
1. The hind part of the foot, particularly of man; but it is applied also to the corresponding part of the feet of quadrupeds.
2.
“We cours'd him at the heels, and had a purpose To be his purveyor: but he rides well; And his great love, sharp as his spur, hath holp him To his home before us.”
convey ×2 Webster 1828
verb transitive [Latin , to carry; to weigh. See Weigh and Way.]
1. To carry , bear or transport, either by land or water, or in air; as, to convey a letter or a package; to convey goods from England…
“But fear not yet To take upon you what is yours: you may Convey your pleasures in a spacious plenty, And yet seem cold, the time you may so hoodwink.”
imply ×2 Webster 1828
verb transitive [Latin implico; in and plico, to fold. See Implicate.]
1. Literally, to infold or involve; to wrap up.
2.
“NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ARE MADE TO YOU AS TO THE ETEXT OR ANY MEDIUM IT MAY BE ON, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.”
endure ×2 Webster 1828
verb transitive [Latin durus, duro.]
1. To last; to continue in the same state without perishing; to remain; to abide.
The Lord shall endure forever.
“We learn no other but the confident tyrant Keeps still in Dunsinane, and will endure Our setting down before't.”
pardon ×2 Webster 1828
verb transitive [Latin per and dono, to give; per having the sense of the English for in forgive, and re in Latin remitto, properly to give back or away.]
1.
alternatively ×2 Webster 1828
adverb In the manner of alternatives; in a manner that admits the choice of one out of two things.
“If you received it on a physical medium, you must return it with your note, and such person may choose to alternatively give you a replacement copy.”
interpret ×2 Webster 1828
verb transitive [Latin interpretor, from interpres.]
1. To explain the meaning or words to a person who does not understand them; to expound; to translate unintelligible words into intelligible ones…
“You seem to understand me, By each at once her chappy finger laying Upon her skinny lips:--you should be women, And yet your beards forbid me to interpret That you are so.”
seize ×2 Webster 1828
verb transitive
1. To fall or rush upon suddenly and lay hold on; or to gripe or grasp suddenly. The tiger rushes from the thicket and seizes his prey. A dog seizes an animal by the throat.
“What should be spoken here, where our fate, Hid in an auger hole, may rush, and seize us?”
hid ×2 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.
“What should be spoken here, where our fate, Hid in an auger hole, may rush, and seize us?”
cursed ×2 Webster 1828
participle passive
1. Execrated; afflicted; vexed; tormented; blasted by a curse.
2. Devoted to destruction.
Thou art cursed from the earth. Genesis 4:11.
3.
Rung 3b — The Bard’s Own Tongue
Period, poetic, and rare words — the flavor of 1606.
tis ×37 Webster 1828
a contraction of it is.
“'Tis his main hope: For where there is advantage to be given, Both more and less have given him the revolt; And none serve with him but constrained things, Whose hearts are absent too.”
ere ×12 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.
“Some holy angel Fly to the court of England, and unfold His message ere he come; that a swift blessing May soon return to this our suffering country Under a hand accurs'd!”
hang ×8 Webster 1828
verb transitive preterit tense and participle passive hanged or hung.
1. To suspend; to fasten to some fixed object above, in such a manner as to swing or move; as, to hang a thief.
“Hang out our banners on the outward walls; The cry is still, "They come:"”
to-morrow ×8 Webster 1828
noun [to and morrow.] The day after the present.
One to-day is worth two to-morrows.
TOM'PION, noun The stopper of a cannon. [See Tampion.]
“I will to-morrow, (And betimes I will) to the weird sisters: More shall they speak; for now I am bent to know, By the worst means, the worst.”
to-night ×7 Webster 1828
noun [to and night.] The present night, or the night after the present day.
“Fare you well.-- Do we but find the tyrant's power to-night, Let us be beaten, if we cannot fight.”
caldron ×7 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.
“Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire, burn; and caldron, bubble.”
thence ×6 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…
“Fears and scruples shake us: In the great hand of God I stand; and thence, Against the undivulg'd pretense I fight Of treasonous malice.”
mingle ×6 Webster 1828
verb transitive
1. To mix; to blend; to unite in one body; as, to mingle liquors of different kinds.
2. To mix or blend without order or promiscuously.
There was fire mingled with hail.
“Black spirits and white, red spirits and gray; Mingle, mingle, mingle, you that mingle may.”
thrice ×5 Webster 1828
adverb [from three; perhaps three, and Latin vice.]
1. Three times.
Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice Matthew 26:34.
2.
“The weird sisters, hand in hand, Posters of the sea and land, Thus do go about, about: Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine, And thrice again, to make up nine:-- Peace!--the charm's wound up.”
withal ×5 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…
“If he do bleed, I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal, For it must seem their guilt.”
thyself ×5 Webster 1828
pronoun [thy and self.] A pronoun used after thou, to express distinction with emphasis. 'Thou thyself shalt go; ' that is, thou shalt go and no other.
“No; though thou call'st thyself a hotter name Than any is in hell.”
net ×4 Webster 1828
noun
1. An instrument for catching fish and fowls, or wild beasts, formed with twine or thread interwoven with meshes.
2. A cunning device; a snare. Mich 7.
3. Inextricable difficulty. Job 18:8.
4.
“thou'dst never fear the net nor lime, The pit-fall nor the gin.”
gainst ×4 Webster 1828
'GAINST. [See Against.]
“'Gainst nature still: Thriftless ambition, that wilt ravin up Thine own life's means!--Then 'tis most like, The sovereignty will fall upon Macbeth.”
bosom ×4 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.
“I would not have such a heart in my bosom for the dignity of the whole body.”
hereafter ×4 Webster 1828
adverb In time to come; in some future time.
1. In a future state.
HERE'AFTER,noun A future state.
'Tis heaven itself that points out an hereafter
“Greater than both, by the all-hail hereafter!”
scorn ×4 Webster 1828
noun
1. Extreme contempt; that disdain which springs from a person's opinion of the meanness of an object, and a consciousness or belief of his own superiority or worth.
He thought scorn to lay hands…
“Thou wast born of woman.-- But swords I smile at, weapons laugh to scorn, Brandish'd by man that's of a woman born.”
com ×3 Webster 1828
in composition as a prefix denotes with, to or against.
“This is one of our major sites, please email hart@pobox.com, for a more complete list of our various sites.”
using ×3 Modern
1. (noun) an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
“why do you keep alone, Of sorriest fancies your companions making; Using those thoughts which should indeed have died With them they think on?”
electronically ×3 Modern
1. (adverb) by electronic means
“You may distribute copies of this etext electronically, or by disk, book or any other medium if you either delete this "Small Print!"”
alarum ×3 Webster 1828
For alarm, is a corruption, and is not to be used.
“I 'gin to be a-weary of the sun, And wish the estate o' the world were now undone.-- Ring the alarum bell!--Blow, wind!”
kerns ×3 Webster 1828
noun An Irish footman or foot-soldier.
1. In English laws, an idle person or vagabond.
KERN, noun A hand-mill consisting of two stones, one of which is turned by the hand; usually written quern, whi…
“I cannot strike at wretched kerns, whose arms Are hired to bear their staves; either thou, Macbeth, Or else my sword, with an unbatter'd edge, I sheathe again undeeded.”
bade ×3 Webster 1828
BADE, the past tense of bid. [See Bid.]
“And, for an earnest of a greater honor, He bade me, from him, call thee Thane of Cawdor: In which addition, hail, most worthy thane, For it is thine.”
valor ×3 Webster 1828
noun [Latin valor valeo, to be strong, to be worth.]
Strength of mind in regard to danger; that quality which enables a man to encounter danger with firmness; personal bravery; courage; intrepidity…
“Art thou afeard To be the same in thine own act and valor As thou art in desire?”
gashes ×3 Webster 1828
noun [I know not through what channel we have received this word. It may be allied to chisel.]
A deep and long cut; an incision of considerable length, particularly in flesh.
GASH, verb intransitive…
“whiles I see lives, the gashes Do better upon them.”
rapt ×3 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.]
contend ×3 Webster 1828
verb intransitive [Latin , to stretch. Gr., See Tend, Tenet.]
1. To strive, or to strive against; to struggle in opposition.
Distress not the Moabites, nor contend with them in battle.
“He is about it: The doors are open; and the surfeited grooms Do mock their charge with snores: I have drugg'd their possets That death and nature do contend about them, Whether they live or die.”
afeard ×3 Webster 1828
adjective afeard is the participle passive. See Fear.]
Afraid; affected with fear or apprehension, in a more moderate degree than is expressed by terrified.
“Art thou afeard To be the same in thine own act and valor As thou art in desire?”
liege ×3 Webster 1828
adjective [Latin ligo, to bind; Gr. to bind, to bend; a withe.]
1. Bound by a feudal tenure; obliged to be faithful and loyal to a superior, as a vassal to his lord; subject; faithful; as a liege ma…
“I am one, my liege, Whom the vile blows and buffets of the world Have so incens'd that I am reckless what I do to spite the world.”
knell ×3 Webster 1828
noun nell. Properly, the stroke of a bell; hence, the sound caused by striking a bell; appropriately and perhaps exclusively, the sound of a bell rung at a funeral; a tolling.
“Had I as many sons as I have hairs, I would not wish them to a fairer death: And, so his knell is knoll'd.”
wherefore ×3 Webster 1828
adverb [where and for.]
1. For which reason.
WHEREFORE by their fruits ye shall know them. Matthew 7:20.
2. Why; for what reason.
WHEREFORE didst thou doubt? Matthew 14:31.
“But wherefore could not I pronounce "Amen"?”
nightgown ×3 Webster 1913
1. A loose gown
used for undress; also, a gown used for a sleeping garment.
“Wash your hands, put on your nightgown; look not so pale:--I tell you yet again, Banquo's buried; he cannot come out on's grave.”
hanged ×3 Webster 1828
participle passive Suspended; put to death by being suspended by the neck.
“And must they all be hanged that swear and lie?”
equivocator ×3 Webster 1828
noun One who equivocates; one who uses language which is ambiguous and may be interpreted in different ways; one who uses mental reservation.
“Faith, here's an equivocator, that could swear in both the scales against either scale, who committed treason enough for God's sake, yet could not equivocate to heaven: O, come in, equivocator.”
sprites ×3 Modern
1. (noun) atmospheric electricity (lasting 10 msec) appearing as globular flashes of red (pink to blood-red) light rising to heights of 60 miles (sometimes seen together with elves)
“As from your graves rise up, and walk like sprites To countenance this horror!”
sundry ×3 Webster 1828
adjective Several; divers; more than one or two. [This word, like several, is indefinite; but it usually signifies a small number, sometimes many.]
I have composed sundry collects.
Sundry foes the ru…
“With this strange virtue, He hath a heavenly gift of prophecy; And sundry blessings hang about his throne, That speak him full of grace.”
fie ×3 Webster 1828
pronounced fi, an exclamation denoting comtempt or dislike.
“out, I say!-- One; two; why, then 'tis time to do't ;--Hell is murky!--Fie, my lord, fie!”
warlike ×3 Webster 1828
adjective [war and like.]
1. Fit for war; disposed for war; as a warlike state.
Old Siward with ten thousand warlike men.
2. Military; pertaining to war; as warlike toil.
3.
“Before my body I throw my warlike shield: lay on, Macduff; And damn'd be him that first cries, "Hold, enough!"”
toil ×3 Webster 1828
verb intransitive To labor; to work; to exert strength with pain and fatigue of body or mind, particularly of the body, with efforts of some continuance or duration.
Master, we have toiled all night…
“Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire, burn; and caldron, bubble.”
armour ×3 Modern
1. (noun) tough more-or-less rigid protective covering of an animal or plant 2. (noun) protective covering made of metal and used in combat 3.
“Send out more horses, skirr the country round; Hang those that talk of fear.--Give me mine armour.-- How does your patient, doctor?”
proofread ×2 Modern
1. (verb) read for errors
“To create these etexts, the Project expends considerable efforts to identify, transcribe and proofread public domain works.”