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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HABERDASHER
HABIT [behaviour]
NOT
HABIT [clothing]
STATE
HABITATION
BAD
PEOPLE
NOT
HACK
NOT
HACKNEY
STATE
HADE
HAG
BIRTH
HAGGARD
HAGGLED
HAIL [call]
HAIL [weather]
HAIR
AMOUNT
COLOUR
EQUIPMENT
TYPE
NOT
HALBERD
PEOPLE
HALCYON
HALE
DIRECTION
HALF
ACTION
AMOUNT
CLOTHING
EMOTION
MONEY
OBJECT
PART OF BODY
PEOPLE
PLACE
SPEECH
STATE
TIME
HALIDOM
HALL
HALLOO
HALLOW [holy]
FESTIVAL
STATE
NOT
HALLOW [shout]
HALT
DISEASE
HALTER
HAMMER
HAMPER
HAMS
HAND
ACTION
AMOUNT
APPEARANCE
BIRD
EXCLAMATION
OBJECT
PEOPLE
SKILL
STATE
TIME
WRITING
NOT
HANDLE
INTENSITY
NOT
HANDMAID
HANDSOME
NOT
HANG
OBJECT
PEOPLE
PLACE
STATE
NOT
HAPPEN
NOT
HAPPY
INTENSITY
NOT
HARBINGER
HARBOUR
HARD
ACTION
APPEARANCE
OBJECT
PART OF BODY
STATE
NOT
HARDOKE
HARE
PART OF BODY
PEOPLE
HAREBELL
HARK
HARLOT
PEOPLE
HARM
ACTION
NOT
HARMONY
HARNESS
STATE
HARP
PEOPLE
HARPY
HARROW
HARRY
HARSH
NOISE
HART
HARVEST
PEOPLE
TIME
HASTE
INTENSITY
MIND
PART OF BODY
HAT
HATCH [come to be]
TIME
NOT
HATCH [wood]
HATCHED [marks]
HATCHET
HATE
PEOPLE
STATE
HAUGHTY
HAUNCH
HAUNT
PLACE
HAUTBOY
HAVE
INTENSITY
PEOPLE
HAVEN
HAVOC
HAWK
HAWTHORN
HAY [fencing]
HAY [grow]
HAZARD
HAZEL
HEAD
ACTION
ANIMAL
APPEARANCE
BAD
GOD
GOOD
NUMBER
OBJECT
PART OF BODY
PEOPLE
NOT
HEALTH
ACTION
TIME
HEAP
HEAR
PEOPLE
SPEECH
NOT
HEARSE
ACTION
STATE
HEART
AMOUNT
ANIMAL
COLOUR
DISEASE
EMOTION
EXCLAMATION
HAPPY
HEAT
LIES
PART
PEOPLE
SAD
STRONG
TRUTH
WEAK
NOT
HEARTH
HEAT
STATE
HEATH
HEATHEN
HEAVE
APPEARANCE
HEAVEN
STATE
HEAVY
APPEARANCE
EMOTION
PART OF BODY
STATE
HEBONA
HECTIC
HEDGE
ANIMAL
BIRD
BIRTH
PEOPLE
PLACE
HEED
NOT
HEEL
PLANT
STATE
HEFT
HEFTED
HEIFER
HEIGHT
HEINOUS
HEIR
NOT
FEELING
HELL
ANIMAL
BIRD
COLOUR
EMOTION
FEELING
FOOD
PART
STATE
HELM
HELP
PEOPLE
NOT
HELTER-SKELTER
HEM
HEMLOCK
HEMP
PEOPLE
PLANT
HEN
HENCE
HENCHMAN
HENT
HERALD
HERB
PART OF BODY
PEOPLE
SIZE
HERCULEAN
HERD
PEOPLE
HERE
HEREDITARY
HERESY
INTENSITY
HERITAGE
MONEY
PEOPLE
NOT
HERMIT
HERO
HEROD
ACTION
HERRING
TYPE
HEST
HEW
TYPE
HEYDAY
HIDE [out of sight]
INTENSITY
TIME
NOT
HIDE [rear]
HIDEOUS
HIE
HIGH
ACTION
AMBITION
APPEARANCE
FESTIVAL
GODS
INTENSITY
MIND
PHYSICAL HEIGHT
PLACE
RANK
HIGHT
HILDING
HILL
TYPE
HILT
TYPE
HIND [animal]
HIND [behind]
HINDER
HINGE
STRENGTH
HINT
HIP
COLOUR
HIRE
HISS
HISTORY
TYPE
HISTY
HIT
HITHER
HIVE
HOAR
APPEARANCE
HOARD
HOARSE
HOBBY-HORSE
HOBGOBLIN
HOBNAIL
HODGE-PUDDING
HOG
HOIST
HOLD
ACTION
INTENSITY
OBJECT
PEOPLE
STATE
HOLE
ANIMAL
OBJECT
HOLIDAM
HOLIDAY
HOLLA
HOLLOW
APPEARANCE
PART OF BODY
HOLLY
HOLY
BAD
MIND
OBJECT
NOT
HOMAGE
PEOPLE
HOME
DIRECTION
STATE
TIME
HOMICIDE
HOMILY
HONEST
PART OF BODY
STATE
NOT
HONEY
APPEARANCE
BEES
EMOTION
PART OF BODY
PLANT
NOT
HONOUR
ACTION
INTENSITY
PART OF BODY
STATE
NOT
HOOD
ACTION
GAME
PEOPLE
STATE
HOOF
APPEARANCE
HOOK
OBJECT
PART OF BODY
PEOPLE
HOOP
ACTION
APPEARANCE
STATE
HOOT
HOP
HOPE
NOT
HORIZON
HORN [music]
HORN [object]
ANIMAL
INTENSITY
OBJECT
PEOPLE
NOT
HOROLOGE
HORROR
HORSE
ACTION
HEALTH
PART
PEOPLE
PLACE
TYPE
NOT
HOSE
TYPE
HOSPITAL
BUILDING
NOT
HOST
PEOPLE
STATE
HOSTILE
HOSTLER
HOT
INTENSITY
PLACE
STATE
HOUND
TYPE
HOUR
EVENT
OBJECT
PERIOD
HOUSE
DRINK
HOUSEHOLD
OBJECT
PART
PEOPLE
SEX
TYPE
NOT
HOVEL
PART
HOVER
HOWEVER
HOWL
INTENSITY
HOWLET
HOX
HOY
HOYDAY
HUBBUB
HUDDLE
HUE
COLOUR
HUG
STATE
HUGE
HULK
HULL
HUM
HUMAN
STATE
NOT
HUMBLE
PART OF BODY
HUMBLE-BEE
HUMIDITY
HUMOUR
OBJECT
HUNDRED
MONEY
LOWER
HIGHER TO A THOUSAND
OVER A THOUSAND
HUNGER
INTENSITY
HUNT
ACTION
MUSIC
PEOPLE
HURDLE
HURL
ACTION
HURRICANO
HURRY
HURT
INTENSITY
NOT
HURTLE
HUSBAND
STATE
NOT
HUSH
HUSK
HUSWIFE
HUTCH
HYDRA
HYMN
TYPE
HYPERBOLE
HYPOCRISY
HYSSOP
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