by Dictionary Scoop
It’s not always possible to attribute the origin of a word to a particular person. However, it is believed that William Shakespeare contributed more than 1,700 terms and expressions to the English language, many of which we still use today.
The way Shakespeare invented, reused, and modified words is a living testament to his creativity and innovation. In this article, we have handpicked words and phrases that you probably didn’t know were coined by the genius English poet and playwright.
The next time you use them, remember that you are following in the footsteps of a true linguistic legend!
1–Lonely
Loneliness is a sentiment we can all relate to. Who hasn’t felt lonely at some point? Feeling sad about being apart from others is universal. But the interesting thing is that this word, which we use frequently in English, was first introduced in a play by William Shakespeare.
Written between 1605 and 1608, Coriolanus is a tragedy set in the earliest days of the Roman Republic. In the first scene of Act 4, General Coriolanus, speaks to his mother Volumnia, who tries to convince him not to attack Rome, and says: “Believe ‘t not lightly-though I go alone, / Like to a lonely dragon that his fen.”
2–Good Riddance
Thanks to William Shakespeare, we have a polite and decent idiom to express we arehappy and relieved to see someone leave without resorting to insults and rudeness. What a treat! Although riddance is practically an obsolete term in modern English, the expression “good riddance” has stood the test of time.
Shakespeare first used it in The Merchant of Venice when Portia says to the Prince of Morocco: “A gentle riddance! Draw the curtains, go, / Let all of his complexion choose me so.”
In this case, the phrase didn’t have the ironic connotation that it would acquire later and that we still use today. That aspect would come with Patroclus’ comment in Troilus and Cressida replying to Thersites’ insolence when he finally leaves: “A good riddance.”
3–Gossip
The word gossip has a long and intricate history. It is believed to derive from the combination of the Old English word sibb, meaning “relative,” and the word god. The term godsibb was used to refer to a person spiritually related to another, that is, a godparent. A few centuries later the word evolved into its current form, gossip, and its meaning was extended to anyone who liked to talk about other people’s private lives.
However, the verb form we use today, to gossip, is entirely due to Romeo and Juliet’s creator. It was Shakespeare who first used the term as a verb in three of his comedies: The Comedy of Errors, All’s Well That Ends Well, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Well, no wonder—a good writer is, at heart, a great gossip.
4–Brave New World
You may be familiar with this line from Aldous Huxley’s famous book published in 1932. But the truth is that Huxley borrowed the title for his dystopian novel from Shakespeare. The English playwright used the phrase ironically for the first time in his play The Tempest.
The naïve Miranda, confined since childhood to an island with no contact with men other than her father, says upon seeing some sailors: “O wonder! / How many goodly creatures are there here! / How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, / That has such people in ‘t.”
Today, we use the phrase in the same cynical and ironic way Shakespeare conceived it more than 400 years ago. When something is about to change in history or society but we are not quite confident about the outcome, “brave new world” comes to mind, and it is impossible to resist using it. At least now we know its origin!
5–Hazel
Romeo and Juliet is a symbol of romantic love and is a story that has been adapted thousands of times in literature, film, television, and music. The words used by Shakespeare to describe the landscapes of Verona and the characters’ physical attributes are unforgettable and have remained in the memory of readers for centuries. Even when we are not aware that many of those words were invented or put on paper for the first time under the pen of the genius playwright!
“Thou wilt quarrel with a man for cracking / nuts, having no other reason but because thou / hast hazel eyes. What eye but such an eye would spy / out such a quarrel?” says Mercutio.
This is the earliest record of the word hazel in reference to a color, in this case, to describe Romeo’s eyes. Fun fact: in the Elizabethan period, it was considered a reddish-brown color, rather than the greenish-brown we think of today.
Tuesday: Five more Shakespearian creations.
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