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.
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EAGER
EAGLE
PART OF BODY
EAN
EAR
NOISE
PART
SHAPE
SPEECH
EARING [ploughing]
NOT
EARL
EARLY
EARN [money]
NOT
EARN [yearn]
EARNEST
INTENSITY
EARTH
ACTION
EMOTION
EVENT
SCENE
STATE
NOT
EASE
PART OF BODY
STATE
NOT
EAST
DIRECTION
EAT
ACTION
ANIMAL
DRINK
FOOD
INTENSITY
PEOPLE
EAVES
PEOPLE
EBB
EBON
COLOUR
ECHE
ECHO
ECLIPSE
APPEARANCE
ECSTASY
ECU
EDDY
EDGE
STATE
NOT
EDICT
EDIFICE
EDIFY
EXTRA
EDITION
EDUCATE
INTENSITY
NOT
EEL
PART OF BODY
EFFECT
NOT
EFFEMINATE
EFFIGY
EFFUSE
EFTEST
EFTSOONS
EGALL
EGG
PART
TYPE
EGLANTINE
EGMA
EGREGIOUS
EGRESS
EIGHT
AGE
MONEY
EISEL
EJECT
EKE [also]
EKE [increase]
ELBOW
SPACE
ELD
ELDER [tree]
OBJECT
TYPE
ELECT
NOT
ELEGANCY
ELEGY
ELEMENT
ELEPHANT
ELEVATED
ELEVEN
MONEY
ELF
APPEARANCE
PEOPLE
ELL
ELM
ELOQUENCE
ELSE
ELYSIUM
EMBALLING
EMBALM
EMBARK
EMBARQUEMENT
EMBASSY
PEOPLE
EMBATTLE
EMBAYED
EMBELLISH
EMBER
TIME?
EMBLAZE
EMBLEM
EMBODIED
EMBOLDEN
EMBOSS
EMBOUNDED
EMBOWEL
EMBRACE
ACTION
EMBROIDERY
EMERALD
EMINENCE
INTENSITY
EMMET
EMPHASIS
EMPIERCE
EMPIRE
PEOPLE
EMPIRICS
EMPLEACHED
EMPLOY
PEOPLE
TIME
EMPOISON
EMPORTMENT
EMPRESS
EMPTY
PART OF BODY
EMULATE
PEOPLE
ENACT
ENAMELLED
ENAMOUR
ENCAGE
ENCAMP
ENCAVE
ENCHAFED
ENCHAINED
ENCHANT
PEOPLE
ENCHASED
ENCIRCLE
ENCLOSE
ENCLOUD
ENCOMPASS
ENCOUCH
ENCOUNTER
PEOPLE
ENCOURAGE
ENCRIMSONED
ENCROACH
ENCUMBER
END
OBJECT
PEOPLE
STATE
TIME
NOT
ENDAMAGE
ENDANGER
ENDART
ENDEARED
ENDEAVOUR
ENDOW
ENDUE
ENDURE
INTENSITY
ENEMY
INTENSITY
ENEW
ENFEEBLE
ENFEOFF
ENFETTER
ENFOLD
ENFORCE
ENFRANCHISEMENT
ENFREED
ENGAGE
ENGAOL
ENGENDER
ENGILD
ENGINE
PEOPLE
ENGIRT
ENGLISH
PEOPLE
PLACE
ENGLUT
ENGRAFT
ENGRAVE
PEOPLE
ENGROSS
ENGUARD
ENIGMA
ENJOIN
ENJOY
ENKINDLE
ENLARD
ENLARGE
ENLIGHTEN
ENLINK
ENMESH
ENMITY
ENNOBLE
ENORMOUS
ENOUGH
ENPATRON
ENQUIRE
ENRAGE
ENRANK
ENRAPT
ENRICH
ENRIDGED
ENRING
ENROBE
ENROLLED
ENROOTED
ENROUND
ENSCARPED
ENSCHEDULE
ENSCONCE
ENSEAMED
ENSEAR
ENSHELTERED
ENSHIELD
ENSHRINE
ENSIGN
ENSINEWED
ENSKIED
ENSNARE
ENSUE
ENSWATHE
ENTAIL
ENTAME
ENTANGLE
ENTER
AGE
STATE
ENTERPRISE
ENTERTAIN
PEOPLE
ENTHRALLED
ENTHRONE
ENTICE
ENTIRE
ENTITLE
ENTOMB
ENTRAILS
ENTRANCE
ENTRANCED
ENTRAP
ENTREASUREED
ENTREAT
ENTRENCH
ENTRY
ENTWIST
ENURE
ENVELOP
ENVENOM
ENVIRON
ENVOY
ENVY
ENWHEEL
ENWOMB
ENWRAP
EPICURE
EPIGRAM
EPILEPSY
EPILOGUE
EPISTLE
EPITAPH
EPITHET
EPITOME
EQUAL
NOT
EQUINOX
EQUIPAGE
EQUITY
EQUIVALENT
EQUIVOCATE
PEOPLE
ERECT
BAD
EREWHILE
ERGO
ERINGO
ERR
INTENSITY
PEOPLE
ERRAND
ERST
ERUDITION
ERUPTION
ESCAPE
ESCHEW
ESCORT
ESCOTE
ESPECIAL
ESPERANCE
ESPIAL
ESPOUSE
ESPY
ESQUIRE
ESSAY
ESSENCE
ESSES
ESTABLISH
ESTATE
ESTEEM
INTENSITY
NOT
ESTRANGE
ESTRIDGE
ETCETERA
ETERNAL
EUNUCH
EVADE
EVEN
STATE
PEOPLE
TIME
NOT
EVENING
FESTIVAL
EVENT
EVER
ACTION
EMOTION
GOD
INTENSITY
STATE
HOW
WHAT
WHEN
WHERE
WHO
EVERY
EVIDENCE
EVIL
PART OF BODY
EVITATE
EWE
EWER
EXACT
EXALT
EXAMINE
NOT
EXAMPLE
STATE
EXASPERATE
EXCEED
EXCEL
PEOPLE
EXCEPT
NOT
EXCESS
EXCHANGE
EXCHEQUER
EXCITE
EXCLAIM
EXCLUDE
EXCOMMUNICATE
EXCREMENT
EXCURSION
EXCUSE
EXECRATION
NOT
EXECUTE
ACTION
PEOPLE
NOT
EXEMPT
EXEQUY
EXERCISE
EXEUNT
EXHALE
EXHAUST
EXHIBIT
EXHORT
EXIGENT
EXILE
EXIST
EXIT
EXORCISM
PEOPLE
EXPECT
PEOPLE
NOT
EXPEDIENCE
EXPEDITION
EXPEL
STATE
EXPEND
EXPERIENCE
INTENSITY
NOT
EXPERIMENT
EXPERT
EXPIATE
EXPIRE
EXPLICATION
STATE
NOT
EXPLOIT
EXPOSE
PEOPLE
EXPOUND
EXPRESS
NOT
EXPULSE
EXQUISITE
EXSUFFLICATE
EXTANT
EXTEMPORE
EXTEND
EXTENUATE
EXTERIOR
EXTERMINE
EXTINCT
EXTIRP
EXTOL
EXTORT
EXTRACT
EXTRAORDINARY
EXTRAUGHT
EXTRAVAGANT
EXTREME
EXULT
EYAS
TYPE
EYE
ACTION
BAD
COLOUR
GOOD
INTENSITY
PART
STATE
TEARS
NOT
EYRIE
EYSELL
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