40 Common Words and Phrases Shakespeare Invented (2023)

FAQs

How many common phrases Did Shakespeare invent? ›

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was not only a prolific writer, he is said to have introduced over one thousand words and phrases into the English language.

He invented over 1700 of our common words by changing nouns into verbs, changing verbs into adjectives, connecting words never before used together, adding prefixes and suffixes, and devising words wholly original.

He also is credited with novel uses of words — he used verbs as nouns and nouns as verbs in new ways. In addition to the words, there are also many phrases Shakespeare invented: “heart of gold,” “the beast with two backs,” and “the green-eyed monster.”

"To be, or not to be: that is the question." Perhaps the most famous of Shakespearean lines, the anguished Hamlet ponders the purpose of life and suicide in this profound soliloquy.

Elbow comes from Old English, where the word for the same body part was elnboga. It had two components – ell, meaning the length of the forearm, and boga, “bow” or “arch.” These in turn came from a Germanic word that ultimately meant “bend of the forearm,” and has similar forms in Dutch, German, and Old Norse.

In Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare gave the world such memorable quotes as “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet“, “parting is such sweet sorrow”, “a plague on both your houses” and dozens more.

It's a famous line, and it's also the last line that Richard III speaks. “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!” A titanic villain in Shakespeare's history plays, Richard III departs the stage and this life with these words, fighting to his death on foot after losing his horse in battle.

How do you talk like Shakespeare? ›

Tips For Talking Like Shakespeare. Instead of "you," say "thou." Instead of "y'all," say "thee." Thy, Thine and Ye are all good pronouns, too. Rhymed couplets are all the rage. Men are "sirrah," ladies are "mistress," and your friends are all called "cousin."

Shakespeare also used the word unfriended, centuries before Mark Zuckerberg. The word swagger, popular with rap musicians, was first used in Henry V and A Midsummer Night's Dream, though Shakespeare didn't invent the word swag.

Etymology. The term refers to being in pickling solution, presumably unpleasant. It was first used in English by William Shakespeare in The Tempest (1611), although the phrase had been used in Dutch earlier.

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” says Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare, the master wordsmith, the artist who can persuade, influence and toy with our emotions through his use of words, could hardly have chosen a better way to illustrate the love-struck youngster's naivety.

From Middle English mi, my, apocopated form of min, myn, from Old English mīn (“my, mine”), from Proto-West Germanic *mīn, from Proto-Germanic *mīnaz (“my, mine”, pron.) (possessive of *ek (“I”)), from Proto-Indo-European *méynos (“my; mine”).

Othello- Shakespeare “invented” the name Othello for the title character in one of his plays, but Otho was an existing Roman name in use long before Shakespeare's time.

Also according to Wiki answers,the first word ever uttered was “Aa,” which meant “Hey!” This was said by an australopithecine in Ethiopia more than a million years ago.

Primarily by adding prefixes and suffixes to known words; this way, audiences would be able to generally comprehend what he was getting at, since they would be inherently familiar with both the root words and their additions.

He also liked adding prefixes or suffixes to common words: “Eye” was also a word—but Shakespeare was the first to describe it as an “eyeball.” Still, there's no denying that Shakespeare helped shape the English language as we know it.

What are famous sayings? ›

"Life's but a walking shadow, A poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more: It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

The Old English word dagian eventually became day, so we can see how dawn isn't that far off. Dawn was originally used as a verb, but Shakespeare went ahead and turned in into a noun—like he loved to do.

Etymology. From Middle English kne, from Old English cnēow, from Proto-West Germanic *kneu, from Proto-Germanic *knewą (compare Low German Knee, Dutch knie, German Knie, Danish knæ, Norwegian kne, Swedish knä), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵnéw-o-m, a thematic derivative of *ǵónu.

Here's to my love. O true apothecary, Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.

But it became a huge hit for me once Google spotted it, because “Romeo's last words” comes up as a crossword puzzle clue quite frequently. Without further ado, Romeo's last words: Eyes, look your last! A dateless bargain to engrossing death!

William Shakespeare used his quote in Act V, Scene 5 of his tragedy, Macbeth. It is spoken by the title character after learning that the Queen, Lady Macbeth, is dead.

“What's in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet.” This is Juliet's line when she is telling Rome that a name is nothing but a name and it is hence a convention with no meaning behind it.

Who said men of few words are the best men? ›

Origin of A Man of Few Words

One of its first known uses was by William Shakespeare in his 1599 play King Henry V. He hath heard that men of few words are the best men.

"To be, or not to be: that is the question." Perhaps the most famous of Shakespearean lines, the anguished Hamlet ponders the purpose of life and suicide in this profound soliloquy.

“The Complete Works of Shakespeare was frequently raided for early examples of word use, even though words or phrases might have been used earlier, by less famous or less literary people.” Shakespeare himself, according to McInnis, didn't really invent all the words and phrases which are attributed to him.

That's right, folks. William Shakespeare invented the word “alligator.” Before Romeo and Juliet, these fearsome reptiles were referred to by their Spanish name, “aligartos.” Without old Will, we might have been cheering “Come on Gartos; get up and go!” every Saturday in the Swamp.

Shakespeare also used the word unfriended, centuries before Mark Zuckerberg. The word swagger, popular with rap musicians, was first used in Henry V and A Midsummer Night's Dream, though Shakespeare didn't invent the word swag.

"Life's but a walking shadow, A poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more: It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

Shakespeare is routinely credited with contributing “at least 1,700 words” to the English language, including words as seemingly common as bedroom, alligator, eyeball, lonely and kissing.

Othello- Shakespeare “invented” the name Othello for the title character in one of his plays, but Otho was an existing Roman name in use long before Shakespeare's time.

Tips For Talking Like Shakespeare. Instead of "you," say "thou." Instead of "y'all," say "thee." Thy, Thine and Ye are all good pronouns, too. Rhymed couplets are all the rage. Men are "sirrah," ladies are "mistress," and your friends are all called "cousin."

Who invented the word assassin? ›

The earliest known use of the verb "to assassinate" in printed English was by Matthew Sutcliffe in A Briefe Replie to a Certaine Odious and Slanderous Libel, Lately Published by a Seditious Jesuite, a pamphlet printed in 1600, five years before it was used in Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1605).

He also liked adding prefixes or suffixes to common words: “Eye” was also a word—but Shakespeare was the first to describe it as an “eyeball.” Still, there's no denying that Shakespeare helped shape the English language as we know it.

Elbow comes from Old English, where the word for the same body part was elnboga. It had two components – ell, meaning the length of the forearm, and boga, “bow” or “arch.” These in turn came from a Germanic word that ultimately meant “bend of the forearm,” and has similar forms in Dutch, German, and Old Norse.

In English, the word no dates back to Middle English and means “not in any degree, not at all, not ever.” Though it's a short word with only two letters, it's actually formed from two elements, the first being the PIE (proto Indo European) root *ne- meaning “not,” and the second from the PIE root *aiw-, meaning “vital ...

Shakespeare can be credited for the invention of thousands of words that are now an everyday part of the English language (including, but not limited to, "eyeball," "fashionable," and "manager.")

By Leo Victor Last updated Sep 2, 2022. Share. Traditionally SWAG stands for Stuff We All Get, a.k.a. promotional products for marketing and giveaways, but swag (derived from swagger) also means cool, composed, and “with it.” Swag can be used as both a noun or a verb and continues to evolve in popular culture.