Here’s a list that I’ll keep adding to. I’m keeping track of words and expressions in Shakespeare that had additional meanings in his time or have since fallen out of usage. It’s a short list now, but I expect it to get longer and longer.
I know these may be painfully obvious to some folks, but most of them are new to me. And if you have any words to add, please let me know!
all the world to nothing—against all odds
an—if.
anon—at once; immediately; directly.
country matters—sex; copulation. Perhaps city people imagined country folk rolling around in haystacks all the time.
cozen—cheat.
dear—expensive. This use of the word still exists, just not in American English.
denier—a French coin of low value.
have done!—enough! stop!
how now?—hey, what's up? what's going on? what have we here? what's happening? The exact meaning of this phrase depends very much on context.
lay by!—lay aside your arms!
leaping house—a brothel.
marry—an exclamation or mild swear that referred to the Virgin Mary.
nunnery—a convent or slang for a brothel.
prithee—I pray thee.
sack—a strong, light-colored wine. Falstaff drinks a ton of this stuff.
shrift—confession.
sirrah—a term of address for men or boys who are below your social class. You use it for guys you look down on, lol.
thou / thee / thy—the familiar form of ‘you.’ Although ‘thou’ sounds stilted and formal now, it was the opposite in Shakespeare’s day. You would use it when addressing a friend, lover, family member or someone who was your social equal or inferior. (In Spanish it would be ‘tu’ as opposed to ‘usted.') ‘Thou’ is the subject, ‘thee’ is the object and ‘thy’ is the possessive—just as ‘he’ is the subject, ‘him’ is the object and ‘his’ is the possessive.
wag—a young man. When Falstaff calls Prince Hal “sweet wag,” he’s calling him “pretty boy.”
what a devil? / what a plague? / what a pox?—these expressions all mean ‘what the hell?,’ as in ‘what the hell does that have to do with me?’
wherefore?—why?
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