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Shakespeare frequently uses words which no longer exist in modern English, or which have changed their meaning since Shakespeare’s day. Here are some of the most common, with their modern meanings:
A: he
An: if
Anon: soon
Assay: to try
Art: are
Aught: anything
Base: lower-class, unworthy, illegitimate
Bawd: pimp, procurer of prostitutes
Brave: handsome, well-dressed, confident, outstanding
Caitiff: a wretched, pitiable person
Character: handwriting
Clepe: to call
Coil: trouble, chaos
Cozen: to cheat
Dame: mistress, mother, senior woman
Discourse: reason, capacity for reason
Doff: to take off
Dost: do
Doth: does
Eft: ready
‘Ere: before
Fain: glad, gladly
Fair: beautiful
For: because
Hast: have
Hark: listen
Hence: from now on
Hie: to hurry, to go quickly
Hither: towards here
Ill: bad, unskillful, inadequate, evil
Kind: nature
Kno to acknowledge, to recognize
Lay: to wager
Let: to hinder, a hindrance
Like: to please
Mark: to notice, to pay attention to
Mickle: much
Moiety: a portion, a part
Natural: a fool
Or: before
Out: all the way, fully
Parlous: dangerous
Practise: a trick
Quality: nature, character
Quit: to respond, to repay
Sans: without
Shre a woman who speaks her mind (meant as an insult)
Shrift: confession
Spleen: anger, impulsiveness
Stranger: foreigner
Tall: strong, brave
Thee: you
Thither: towards there
Thou: you
Vein: humor, mood, lifestyle
Wast: were
Whence: from where
Wherefore: why
Will: desire, intention
Yea: even
