Word families

Shakespeare often refers to the heart. But he also uses this word to help create other words, such as unheart, heart-sore, and heartless. How many such derived words are there, and how are they used? Type HEART into the search-box and you will see.

We use the term word-family to identify the set of words that contain the same basic element. They will be part of a compound word (as in heart-sore), accompanied by a prefix (as in unheart) or a suffix (as in heartless), or used in different ways (e.g. as a noun and a verb). In this section we list all the words in the canon (in the modern English version) that have family resemblances so you can see which words Shakespeare exploited in this way, and which he did not. Words that are not included (such as the and Horatio) are described on the further information page here.

When there are several family members, we group them into themes, showing the directions in which Shakespeare used a word. Where these occur, they are listed under the main heading. The names of the themes, taken along with their family members, we hope are self-explanatory, but more illustration can be found on the further information page here.
more...
ABANDON
PEOPLE
ABASE
ABASH
ABATE
ABBEY
PEOPLE
ABBREVIATE
ABED
ABET
PEOPLE
ABHOR
ABIDE
ABILITY
NOT
ABJECT
ABJURE
ABOARD
ABODE
ABOMINATION
ABORT
ABOUND
ABOUT
ABOVE
ABREAST
ABRIDGE
ABROACH
ABROAD
ABROGATE
ABROOK
ABRUPT
ABSENCE
ABSEY
ABSOLUTE
ABSOLVE
PEOPLE
ABSTAIN
ABSTRACT
ABSURD
ABUNDANCE
ABUSE
PEOPLE
STATE
ABUT
ABY
ABYSM
ACADEME
ACCENT
ACCEPT
ACCESS
PEOPLE
NOT
ACCIDENT
ACCITE
ACCLAMATION
ACCOMMODATE
NOT
ACCOMPANY
ACCOMPLEMENT
ACCOMPLICE
ACCOMPLISH
INTENSITY
ACCORD
ACCOST
ACCOUNT
ACCOUTRE
ACCRUE
ACCUMULATE
ACCUSATIVE
ACCUSE
PEOPLE
ACCUSTOM
ACE
ACERBE
ACHE
PART OF BODY
NOT
ACHIEVE
TYPE
ACKNOWLEDGE
ACONITUM
ACORN
INTENSITY
ACQUAINT
INTENSITY
NOT
ACQUIRE
ACQUIT
ACRE
ACROSS
ACT
ENACT
PEOPLE
STATE
TOGETHER
NOT
ACUTE
ADAGE
ADAMANT
A-DAYS
ADD
TIME
ADDER
ADDICT
ADDITION
ADDLE
ADDRESS
ADHERE
ADIEU
ADJACENT
ADJOIN
ADJOURN
ADJUDGE
ADJUNCT
ADMINISTER
ADMIRAL
ADMIRE
PEOPLE
ADMIT
STATE
ADMONISH
ADO
ADOPT
ADORE
PEOPLE
ADORN
ADULATION
ADULTERATE
ADULTERY
PEOPLE
ADVANCE
ADVANTAGE
ADVENTURE
ADVERSE
ADVERTISE
ADVICE
INTENSITY
NOT
ADVOCATE
AEDILE
AERIAL
AERY
AFAR
AFEARD
AFFABLE
AFFAIR
AFFECT
STATE
AFFEERED
AFFIANCE
AFFIED
AFFINITY
AFFIRM
AFFLICT
AFFORD
AFFRAY
AFFRIGHT
AFFRONT
AFFY
AFIRE
AFLOAT
AFOOT
AFORE
AFRAID
AFRESH
AFRICAN
AFRONT
AFTER
ACTION
EVENT
MEAL
MONEY
STATE
TIME
AFTERNOON
AFTERWARD(S)
A-FUME
AGAIN
AGATE
AGAZED
AGE
AGENT
AGGRAVATE
AGGRIEFED
AGHAST
AGILE
AGITATION
AGLET
AGNIZE
AGO
AGONY
AGOOD
AGREE
NOT
AGROUND
AGUE
EVENT
PEOPLE
STATE
A-HEIGHT
A-HOLD
AID
NOT
AIL
AIM
AIR
STATE
NOT
AKIN
ALABASTER
ALACRITY
ALARM
TIME
ALARUM
ALAS
ALCHEMY
ALDERLIEFEST
ALDERMAN
ALE
PLACE
PEOPLE
STATE
ALIEN
ALIGHT
ALIKE
ALIVE
ALL
ACTION
APPEARANCE
BAD
GOD
GOOD
GREETING
MIND
SPEECH
STATE
TIME
ALLAY
ALLEGE
ALLEGIANCE
ALLEY
ALLHALLOWMAS
ALLIANCE
ALLIGANT
ALLIGATOR
ALLOT
ALLOW
NOT
ALLURE
ALLUSION
ALLY
ALMANAC
ALMIGHTY
ALMOND
ALMOST
ALMS
ACTION
BULDING
CONTAINER
PEOPLE
ALOE
ALOFT
ALONE
ALONG
ALOOF
ALOUD
ALPHABETICAL
ALREADY
STATE
ALSO
ALTAR
ALTER
ALTITUDE
ALWAYS
AMAIN
AMAZE
AMAZON
AMBASSADOR
AMBASSAGE
AMBER
OBJECT
AMBIGUITY
AMBITION
AMBLE
ACTION
AMBUSH
AMEER
AMEN
AMEND
AMERCE
AMES-ACE
AMIABLE
AMIDST
AMISS
AMITY
AMOROUS
STATE
AMORT
AMOUNT
AMPLE
AMPLIFY
ANATOMY
ANCESTOR
ANCHOR
TYPE
ANCHOVY
ANCIENT [old]
ANCIENT [soldier]
ANDIRONS
ANEW
ANGEL
ANGER
INTENSITY
ANGLE [fish]
ANGLE [shape]
ANGRY
ANGUISH
ANIMAL
NOT
ANKLE
ANNALS
ANNEX
BAD
ANNOUNCE
ANNOY
ANNUAL
ANOINT
ANON
ANOTHER
ANSWER
TYPE
NOT
ANT
ANTHEM
ANTHROPOPHAGI
ANTIC [age]
ANTIC [character]
ANTICIPATE
ANTIDOTE
ANTIPATHY
ANTIPODES
ANTIQUE
ANTRE
ANVIL
ANY
APACE
APART
APE
PEOPLE
STATE
TYPE
APIECE
APOLOGY
APOPLEXY
APOSTLE
APOSTROPHUS
APOTHECARY
APPAID
APPAL
APPAREL
STATE
APPARENT
APPARITION
APPEACH
APPEAL
APPEAR
PEOPLE
STATE
APPEASE
NOT
APPELLANT
APPENDIX
APPERIL
APPERTAIN
APPETITE
APPLAUD
APPLE
PRODUCT
TYPE
APPLY
NOT
APPOINT
STATE
APPREHEND
APPRENTICEHOOD
APPROACH
PEOPLE
APPROBATION
APPROPRIATION
APPROVE
PEOPLE
NOT
APPURTENANCE
APRICOT
APRIL
APRON
APT
NOT
ARABIAN
ARAISE
ARBITRATE
PEOPLE
ARBOUR
ARCH
ACTION
PEOPLE
PLACE
ARCHBISHOP
ARCHDEACON
ARCHDUKE
ARCHER
ARCH-HERETIC
ARCHITECT
ARDENT
ARGAL
ARGO
ARGOSY
ARGUE
ARIGHT
ARISE
ARITHMETIC
ARK
ARM [body]
STATE
ARM [weapon]
INTENSITY
PEOPLE
NOT
ARMADO
ARMIGERO
ARMOUR
PEOPLE
ARMY
AROINT
AROUSE
ARRAIGN
ARRANT
ARRAS
ARRAY
ARREARAGE
ARREST
ARRIVE
ARROGANCE
ARROUSE
ARROW
ARSE
ART
PEOPLE
NOT
ARTERE
ARTICLE
ARTICULATE
ARTIFICER
ARTIFICIAL
ARTILLERY
ARTIST
ARTLESS
ASCENT
ASCRIBE
ASH
ASHAMED
ASHORE
ASIDE
ASK
PEOPLE
NOT
ASKANCE
ASLEEP
ASP
ASPECT
ASPEN
ASPERSION
ASPICIOUS
ASPIRE
ASQUINT
ASS
PART OF BODY
ASSAIL
PEOPLE
NOT
ASSASSINATION
ASSAULT
ASSAY
ASSEMBLE
ASSENT
ASSHEAD
ASSIGN
ASSINICO
ASSIST
PEOPLE
ASSOCIATE
ASSUAGE
ASSUBJUGATE
ASSUME
STATE
ASSURE
ASTONISH
ASTRAY
ASTRINGER
ASTRONOMY
PEOPLE
ASUNDER
ATHVERSARY
ATHWART
A-TILT
ATLAS
ATOGETHER
ATOMY
ATONE
ATTACH
ATTACK
ATTAIN
NOT
ATTEMPT [try]
ATTEND
EMOTION
PEOPLE
ATTENTION
ATTEST
ATTIRE
PLACE
TYPE
ATTORNEY
ATTRACT
ATTRIBUTE
ATWAIN
AUBURN
AUDACITY
AUDIBLE
PEOPLE
NOT
AUDIENCE
AUDIT
PEOPLE
AUGER
PLACE
AUGHT
AUGMENT
AUGUR
PEOPLE
AUGUST
AULD
AUNCHIENT
AUNT
RELATIVE
AURICULAR
AUSPICIOUS
NOT
AUSTERE
AUTHENTIC
AUTHOR
AUTHORITY
NOT
AUTUMN
AVAIL
AVARICE
AVAUNT
AVE
AVENGE
AVER
AVERT
AVISE
AVOID
NOT
AVOIRDUPOIS
AVOUCH
AVOW
AWAIT
AWAKE
AWARD
AWARE
AWAY
AWD
AWE
INTENSITY
NOT
AWEARY
AWFUL
AWHILE
AWKWARD
AWL
A-WORK
AWRY
AXE
TYPE
AXLE-TREE
AYE
AZURE
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
x

Jump directly to