The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works

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The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 584

by William Shakespeare


  little, in a in brief

  livelihood life, liveliness

  lively living; lifelike

  liver dweller; organ supposedly responsible for intense feeling, especially love; liver vein = vein or style of love

  livery (in law) delivery or transfer of property

  lob sb. lout, rustic; v. droop

  lockram linen fabric

  lode-star the Pole star

  lodge flatten, beat down

  loggets game of throwing pieces of wood at a target

  London Stone a rounded block of stone in Cannon Street, London

  ’long, long belong

  long purples kind of wild orchis

  long-staffsixpenny strikers robbers who attack their victims with long poles

  ’loo, loo a shout of encouragement to dogs or hounds (cf. halloo)

  loofed (?) aloof, at a distance

  look before certain words is an idiomatic equivalent of adding ‘ever’, e.g. look how = however;look what = whatever

  look upon stand by and watch

  loon rogue, low-bred person

  looped full of holes

  loose sb. firing of an arrow; adj. unattached, independent; v. fire (an arrow); let loose, release

  lop cuttings from a tree

  Lord’s sake, for the begging cry of prisoners at their windows

  lose cause to lose; bring to ruin; let slip, forget

  lots to blanks, it is (?) ‘the chances are’

  love-in-idleness pansy

  lover friend

  lown see loon

  lozel rogue

  lubber oaf; Quickly’s word for ‘leopard’ (cf. libbard)

  luce pike

  Lucina goddess of childbirth, properly a surname of Juno (see Juno)

  lucre gain, acquisition

  Lud’s town London, after King Lud, Cymbeline’s grandfather

  luggage baggage, encumbrance

  lunes lunatic fits

  Lupercal = Lupercalia, an ancient Roman festival at which participants ran around striking the citizens with animal skins

  lurch rob

  lure apparatus used by a falconer to recall his bird

  lust pleasure

  lustihood vigorous health

  lustique in sprightly fashion

  lusty cheerful; lustful

  Lux tua vita mihi‘Thy light is life to me’ (Lat.)

  luxurious lecherous

  luxury lechery

  Ma foi‘(by) my faith’ (Fr., an oath); ma foi, il fait fort chaud. Je m’en vais voir à la court la grande affaire = ‘by my faith, it’s very hot. I’m going to court, the great business’

  Machiavel amoral intriguer, after the Italian politician, Niccolò Machiavelli

  maculate spotted, blemished

  maculation spot, blemish

  madrigal song

  magnanimious, magnanimous great-hearted, noble

  Magni dominator poli, / Tam lentus audis scelera, tam lentus vides? ‘Ruler of the great heavens, are you so slow to hear crimes, so slow to see?’ (Lat., after Seneca)

  magnifico Venetian of high social standing

  magot-pies magpies

  Maid Marian a bawdy role in the morris-dance

  mail sb. suit of armour; small bag; v. dress in armour; wrap (a hawk) in cloth

  main sb. main part; sea; mainland; army; stake in a dice game; adj. strong; important; v. maim

  main-course mainsail

  mainly mightily; greatly

  major basic premise in an argument

  majority distinction, preeminence

  make sb. partner; v. do; make fast, shut; make one’s way, move;make one = join in

  making bodily form

  malapert insolent

  malicho iniquity

  malkin wench

  malmsey strong, sweet wine

  malt-horse, malthorse brewer’s horse

  malt-worms, maltworms beer drinkers

  mammet doll

  mammock tear into shreds

  mamm’ring hestitating, stuttering

  man tame; use as a weapon

  manage sb. management; (of a horse) training, exercise; v. take control of (a horse)

  mandragora the mandrake plant (see mandrake)

  mandrake poisonous plant supposed to issue a fatal shriek when uprooted

  man-enter’d entered like a man

  manhood manliness, masculinity

  mankind masculine, savage

  manner, taken with the caught red-handed

  mansionry dwelling

  mantle scum resting on the surface of stagnant water

  manu cita with ready hand (Lat.)

  map image

  mapp’ry map-reading

  Marches, marches Welsh or Scottish borders

  marchpane marzipan

  margent margin, hence notes, accompanying explanation

  mark marking, observation; quantity of money; (in archery) something aimed at

  market profit

  marry a mild oath, from the name of the Virgin Mary

  Mars god of war and lover of Venus (see Venus)

  Martial of Mars, hence warlike, etc.

  Martin’s summer, Saint good weather late in the year (St Martin’s day = 11 November)

  martlemas St Martin’s day (cf.Martin’s summer, Saint)

  martlet swift or house-martin

  Mary-buds marigolds

  mast acorns, chestnuts and similar

  mastic violently abusive

  mate match; check, put at a loss

  material of matter, substantial

  maugre despite

  maund basket

  mazard, mazzard head

  Me pompae provexit apex‘The crown of the triumph has led me on’ (Lat.)

  meacock tame, spiritless

  meal’d, mealed mixed, of a piece

  mean sb. middle position or course; middle voice in vocal or instrumental music; v. moan, lament

  measurable fit, suitable

  measure sb. dance or piece of music; punishment; v. tread, cross

  mechanic, mechanical sb. manual labourer, artisan; adj. performing manual labour, common

  Medea enchantress who rejuvenated her father-in-law Aeson and murdered her brother Absyrtus

  Medice, teipsum physician, (heal) thyself (Lat.)

  med’cinable, medicinable medicinal, curative

  med’cine, medicine sb. doctor; drug, potion; (in alchemy) the elixir reputed to turn base metals into gold; v. heal;med’cine potable = drug containing gold

  meditance meditating

  medlar fruit eaten when almost rotten; prostitute

  meed merit; payment

  meetly fair, not bad

  Mehercle by Hercules (Lat.)

  meinie, meiny multitude; retinue

  melancholy depression, associated with a thickening of the blood

  Meleager Calydonian prince who, with Theseus and others, hunted down a local boar

  mell associate, have intercourse

  memorize make memorable

  memory memorial, souvenir

  mercatante merchant (Ital.)

  Mercurial of Mercury, hence fleet of foot, etc.

  Mercury the messenger god, associated with eloquence; he was depicted with winged sandals

  mere utter, total

  mered defined, marked out

  merit reward, desert

  mess serving of food; group of diners occupying a ranked position at table

  metaphysical supernatural

  mete judge; aim or level

  metheglin potent spiced mead

  method, by the in the same style

  mew confine (a bird) in a cage

  Mi perdonato excuse me (Ital.)

  micher one who plays truant

  miching lurking, stealthy

  mickle great

  microcosm man as the universe in miniature; map ofmy microcosm = my face

  milch in milk, lactating

  Mile-End Green drill-ground east of London
for citizens under training and a place for fairs and shows

  milk-livered chicken-hearted

  milliner seller of gloves and fancy apparel

  mill-sixpences silver sixpences

  mince trivialize; walk or talk in an affected, gamesome manner

  mind have in mind, mean; call to mind; notice

  mineral poison; mine

  Minerva goddess of wisdom and of arts and crafts

  minikin high-pitched

  minim basic short note-value in Tudor music

  minime not in the least (Lat.)

  minimus tiny creature

  minion favourite or mistress; slut

  Minotaur a monster, half bull and half man, placed in a labyrinth by Minos, King of Crete

  minute-jacks clock figures (cf. jack)

  minutely very frequent, by the minute

  mirable admirable, marvellous

  mirror pattern, example

  Misanthropos man-hater (Gr.)

  mischief sb. evil; misfortune; disease; v. harm

  mis-dread fear of evil

  miser wretched person

  misgoverned unrestrained, rebellious

  misgovernment misconduct

  misgraffed ill-matched

  misprision misunderstanding, blunder; disdain; false imprisonment

  misproud arrogant, inappropriately proud

  missive messenger

  mistake take wrongly; misunderstand, misjudge

  misthink think badly of, misjudge

  mistress (in bowls) the jack

  mo see moe

  mobbled with face muffled

  mockery, mock’ry semblance, imitation

  model pattern; mould

  modern trite, commonplace

  modest moderate, sober

  modestly moderately, restrainedly

  modesty moderation

  module pattern, image

  moe more

  moiety portion, sometimes a half

  moldwarp mole

  mome fool, ass

  momentany momentary

  Monarcho the name used by a famously vain contemporary Italian at the English court

  Monmouth cap soldier’s cap

  monster make monstrous

  monstruosity monstrosity

  montant (in fencing) upward thrust (Fr.)

  monument sign, omen

  monumental serving as a sign or token (of identity, etc.)

  mood anger; expression of feelings; (in music) scale, mode

  mooncalf creature born deformed

  Moor-ditch a notoriously filthy ditch in London

  mop sb. grimace; v. grimace like a monkey

  mope be or wander about in a daze, lack awareness

  moralise, moralize expound morally or symbolically

  Morisco morris-dancer

  morris morris-dance

  mort call of the hunting-horn announcing the death of the deer

  mortified insensate, subdued

  mortifying life-depriving

  mortise part of a joint in carpentry

  mose in the chine (?) display the symptoms of glanders (a disease in horses) in its final stages

  mot motto, device

  mote speck, mentioned by Christ as a metaphor for trivial sinfulness (cf. beam)

  mother tenderness; see Hysterica passio

  motion sb. puppet or puppet- show; appeal, proposal; impulse, feeling; v. move, propose; upon the foot of motion = at the stage of being expressed

  motive mover, cause or instrument

  motley pied garments of a jester

  mould earth, clay, the mortal human body

  moulten having moulted

  mountebank swindle in the manner of a mountebank (a pedlar of quack medicines)

  mouse sb. term of affection for a woman; v. treat as a cat treats a mouse

  mouse-hunt one who hunts women, rake (cf. mouse)

  mow sb. grimace; v. grimace mockingly

  mulled dulled

  mummer performer in a dumb- show

  mummy dried human flesh used as the basis for a medicinal liquid

  muniments military supplies or defences

  murd’ring-piece cannon with a spraying shot

  mure wall

  murrain, murrion sb. plague in cattle or other animals; adj. infected

  muscadel sweet wine

  muse marvel (at); complain

  musit hole in a hedge; hiding place

  musk-cat musk-deer

  muss game in which children scramble for objects thrown on the ground

  mutine sb. mutineer; v. mutiny

  mutiny sb. dispute; v. riot

  mutton prostitute; laced mutton = prostitute

  mutual shared, common; intimate

  mutuality familiarity, intimacy

  mutually together; reciprocally

  myn-heers gentlemen (Dutch)

  Myrmidons followers of Achilles in the Trojan war; the great Myrmidon = Achilles (see Achilles)

  mystery art or craft, calling

  Nabuchadnezzar = Nebuchadnezzar, Babylonian king whom God punished by driving him into the wilderness where he ate grass like an ox

  nail one-sixteenth of a yard

  naked unarmed; in naked bed = undressed and in bed

  napless worn, threadbare

  Naso family name of the poet Ovid, from nasus (Lat.= ‘nose’)

  native sb. natural source; adj. innate, natural; naturally connected

  natural sb. congenital idiot; adj. idiotic

  naturalize familiarize

  naught sb. wrongdoing; adj. bad, worthless; all to naught = worthless; be naught awhile = petty insult

  naughty bad, worthless

  nave hub or boss of a wheel; navel

  nay-ward direction of disbelief

  nay-word, nayword password; byword

  Nazarite Nazarene, i.e. Christ

  ne intelligis domine?‘do you understand, sir?’ (Lat.)

  neaf fist (dial.)

  Neapolitan bone-ache syphilis

  near-legged knock-kneed

  neat sb. ox; adj. trim, fancy

  neb beak, nose or mouth

  neeze sneeze

  neglect cause to be neglected

  Nemean of Nemea, where lived a fearsome lion; Hercules slew it and wore its hide

  nephew cousin; descendant

  Neptune god of the sea

  Nereides benevolent sea-nymphs

  Nero Roman emperor who had his mother murdered and was supposed to have played a harp while Rome burned

  nerve nerve or sinew

  nervy courageous; sinewy

  Nessus centaur killed with a poisoned arrow by Hercules for abducting his wife; the bloodied shirt was later worn by Hercules who was driven to suicide by its residual poison

  Nestor Hellenic king famed for his advanced age and wisdom

  nether-stocks stockings for the lower legs

  next closest

  nice easy-going; delicate, particular; refined; slight

  nicely subtly; strictly, particularly; daintily

  niceness daintiness

  nicety scruples

  Nicholas, Saint patron saint of scholars; Saint Nicholas’ clerks = highway robbers

  nick v.(?) cut short; (?) emasculate; in the nick = at that point; out of all nick = beyond measure

  nickname miscall; find new names for

  niggard act meanly; stint

  night-gown dressing-gown

  night-rule affairs of the night

  nimble-pinion’d swift-winged

  nine-men’s-morris rustic game played on a diagram cut in turf

  Niobe mother of fourteen children slain by Apollo and Diana, transformed into stone as she wept

  noble gold coin

  noise sb. concert or small company of musicians; report, rumour; v. report, rumour;noise it = cry out

  nole noddle, head

  nonce, for the for the occasion, as the occasion requires

  non-come Dogberry’s word for ‘non plus’ (L
at. = ‘bewilderment’), confused with ‘non compos’ (Lat. = ‘mentally defective’)

  nonpareil unrivalled paragon

  nonsuit reject, with respect to a suit

  nook-shotten full of nooks and corners, misshapen

  nose-herbs scented plants

  note sb. mark of disgrace; mark, characteristic; notice, apprehension; record; v. mark with disgrace

  notedly assuredly

  nothing able to be pronounced ‘noting’ (= observing, tune, etc.); sb. triviality; adv. in no way

  notion intellect, awareness

  Novi hominem tanquam te‘I know the man as well as I know you’ (Lat.)

  novum dice game at which nine and five were high scores and perhaps interchangeable

  noyance annoyance, harm

  nuncio messenger

  nursery care, nurturing

  nut-hook, nuthook beadle

  O spot; spangle, star; the Globe Theatre; vagina; sigh; prayer

  oafs children of elves or fairies

  oathable able to be placed under oath

  ob. for ‘obolus’ (Lat.), used in England of a half-penny

  objection accusation or criminal charge

  obligation contract

  obliged bound by contract

  obliquy (?) obliquity, perversity; (?) seeobloquy

  oblivious causing oblivion or forgetfulness

  obloquy slander, shame

  obsequious of obsequies or funeral rites; loyal

  observance observation; deference, respect; ritual

  observant fawning attendant

  observation performance of a rite; respectful attention

  observe court; pay due respect to

  obstruction lack of movement

  occasion matter; need; fault; opportunity, proverbially represented as bearing a forelock (or ‘front’) which should be seized

  occident the west

  occulted concealed, secret

  occupation labour, trade

  occupy have sex

  occurrents occurrences

  oddly unevenly

  ’Od’s, Od’s‘God’s’ or ‘God save’ (in oaths)

  oeillades meaningful, amorous looks

  o’erblow blow away

  o’ercount outnumber

  o’ercrow triumph over

  o’er-dy’d weak with overdyeing

  o’er-eaten gnawed at and bitten

  o’er-flourish’d elaborately carved or ornamented

  o’er-galled made excessively sore

  o’erlook, overlook look over, examine, read; curse, bewitch

  o’ermaster make oneself master of

  o’erparted assigned a theatrical part above one’s capabilities

  o’erpeer, over-peer, overpeer look down upon

  o’erpicturing outdoing in pictorial qualities

  o’er-posting passing over

  o’er-raught, o’erraught o’erreached (seeo’erreach)

  o’erreach cheat; overtake

  o’ersized smeared over, as with size (seesize)

 

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