“Household Words”

Common and Uncommon Words Coined by Shakespeare

A—F | G—M | N—R | S—Z

• nayword (“byword”)
• neglect (the noun)
• to negotiate
• never-ending [earlier than OED]
• newsmonger
• nimble-footed
• noiseless
• nonregardance (“disregard”)
• nook-shotten (“full of corners or angles”)
• to numb [earlier than OED]
• obscene (Shakespeare meant “revolting”)
• ode
• to offcap (“to doff one’s cap”)
• offenseful (“sinful”)
• Olympian (Shakespeare meant “Olympic”)
• to operate
• oppugnancy (“antagonism”)
• outbreak
• to outcrafty (“to excel in craft”: “outwit”)
• to outdare
• to outfrown
• to outgrow
• to out-Herod (“to outdo Herod in bluster”)
• to outscold
• to outsell (Shakespeare meant “to exceed in value”)
• to outstare
• to outswear
• to outsweeten (“to be sweeter than”)
• to out-talk
• to out-villain
• to outweigh
• overblown (Shakespeare meant “blown over”)
• to overbulk (“to surpass in bulk”)
• overcredulous
• overgrowth
• to overpay
• to overpower
• to overrate
• to over-red (“to redden over”)
• to overstink (“to stink more than”)
• overview (as a noun: Shakespeare meant “supervision”)
• pageantry
• to palate (Shakespeare meant “to relish”)
• pale-faced
• to pander
• passado (a kind of sword-thrust)
• paternal
• pauser (“one who hesitates”)
• pebbled (“pebbly”)
• pedant (Shakespeare was referring to a schoolmaster)
• pedantical
• pendulous (Shakespeare meant “hanging over”)
• to perplex
• perusal
• to petition
• pignut (a sort of tuber)
• pious
• please-man (“yes-man” or “parasite”)
• plumpy (“plump”)
• posture (Shakespeare seems to have meant something like “position” or “positioning”) [earlier than OED]
• pouncet-box (“small box of perfumes”)
• prayerbook [earlier than OED]
• priceless
• profitless
• Promethean
• protester (Shakespeare meant “one who affirms”)
• published (Shakespeare meant “commonly recognized”)
• puh! (an interjection signifying disgust and/or condescension)
• to puke
• puppy-dog
• pushpin (Shakespeare was referring to a children’s game)
• on purpose
• quarrelsome
• in question (as in “the___ in question”)
• radiance
• to rant
• rascally [earlier than OED]
• rawboned (“very gaunt”)
• razorable (“fit to be shaved”)
• reclusive
• refractory
• reinforcement (Shakespeare meant “renewed force”)
• reliance
• remorseless
• reprieve (the noun)
• restoration [earlier than OED]
• * restraint (as “reserve”)
• retirement
• to reverb (“to re-echo”)
• revokement (“revocation”)
• revolting (Shakespeare meant “rebellious”) [earlier than OED]
• to reword (Shakespeare meant “re-echo” and “repeat”)
• ring carrier (“go-between”)
• ring-time (“time for exchanging rings”)
• to rival (Shakespeare meant “to compete”)
• roadway
• roguery
• rose-cheeked
• rose-lipped
• rug-headed (“shock-headed”)
• rumination
• ruttish