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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RABBIT
AGE
RABBLE
RACE [erase]
RACE [origin]
RACE [plant]
RACK [clouds]
RACK [move]
PEOPLE
RACKET
RADIANCE
RADISH
RAFT
RAG
STATUS
RAGAMUFFIN
RAGE
STRONG
RAIL
RAIMENT
RAIN
SIGHT
TYPE
RAISE
SPEED
NOT
RAISIN
RAKE
PEOPLE
NOT
RAM [animal]
RAM [move]
PEOPLE
RAMP
PEOPLE
RANCOUR
RANDOM
RANGE
PEOPLE
RANK [amount]
RANK [foul]
INTENSITY
SMELL
RANK [position]
ACTION
PART
RANSACK
RANSOM
NOT
RANT
RAP
RAPE
RAPIER
TYPE
RAPT
STATE
RARE
RASCAL
RASED
RASH
STATE
RAT
PEOPLE
POISON
RATE
INTENSITY
PEOPLE
RATIONAL
RATSBANE
RATTLE
ACTION
RAUGHT
RAVE
RAVEL
RAVEN [bird]
COLOUR
TYPE
RAVEN [feed]
INTENSITY
RAVISH
PEOPLE
RAW
APPEARANCE
RAY [light]
RAY [stain]
RAZE
RAZOR
REACH
INTENSITY
READ
ACTION
PEOPLE
NOT
READY
NOT
REAL
NOT
REALM
REAP
PEOPLE
REAR [behind]
MONEY
REAR [raise]
STATE
REASON
NOT
REAVE
REBATE
REBATO
REBEL
OBJECT
REBOUND
REBUKE
REBUSE
RECALL
NOT
RECANT
PEOPLE
RECEIVE
PEOPLE
RECHEAT
RECIPROCAL
RECITE
TIME
RECK
NOT
RECKON
RECLAIMED
RECLUSIVE
RECOGNIZANCE
RECOIL
RECOLLECT
RECOMFORTED
RECOMMEND
RECOMPENSE
RECOMPT
RECONCILE
PEOPLE
NOT
RECORD
PEOPLE
RECOUNT
NOT
RECOURSE
RECOVER
NOT
RECREANT
PEOPLE
RECREATION
RECRUIT
RECTIFY
PEOPLE
RECTOR
RECURE
RED
ACTION
BIRD
PART OF BODY
STATE
RED0UBLE
REDE
REDEEM
PEOPLE
REDELIVER
REDOUBTED
REDOUND
REDRESS
REDUCE
REECHY
REED
REEK
REEL
REFEL
REFER
REFIGURE
REFINED
INTENSITY
REFLECT
ACTION
REFLEX
REFORM
REFRACTORY
REFRAIN
REFRESH
REFT
REFUGE
REFUSE
REGAL
REGARD
INTENSITY
NOT
REGENERATE
REGENT
STATUS
REGIMENT
REGION
REGISTER
NOT
REGREET
REGRESS
REGUERDON
REGULAR
NOT
REHEARSE
REIGN
PEOPLE
REIN
INTENSITY
REINFORCE
REITERATE
REJECT
REJOICE
EVENT
PEOPLE
REJOIN
REJOURN
RELAPSE
RELATE
RELEASE
RELENT
NOT
RELIANCE
RELIC
RELIEF
RELIGION
NOT
RELINQUISH
RELIQUE
RELISH
NOT
RE-LIVE
RELIVER
RELUME
RELY
REMAIN
PLACE
TIME
REMAND
REMARK
REMEDY
REMEMBER
INTENSITY
PEOPLE
REMISS
REMNANT
REMONSTRANCE
REMORSE
NOT
REMOTE
REMOVE
REMUNERATE
REND
RENDER
ACTION
RENDEZVOUS
RENEGADO
RENEGE
RENEW
RENOUNCE
RENOWN
INTENSITY
RENT [money]
REPAIR [go]
REPAIR [mend]
NOT
REPASS
REPAST
REPAY
REPEAL
REPEAT
REPEL
REPENT
INTENSITY
REPETITION
REPINE
REPLANT
REPLENISH
TIME
REPLETE
REPLICATION
REPLY
REPORT
NOT
REPOSE
REPOSSESS
REPREHEND
REPRESENT
REPRIEVE
NOT
REPRISAL
REPROACH
REPROBANCE
PEOPLE
REPROVE
STATE
REPUGNANT
REPULSE
REPURCHASE
REPURED
REPUTATION
INTENSITY
NOT
REQUEST
REQUICKEN
REQUIEM
REQUIRE
REQUITE
REREMICE
RESCUE
RESEMBLE
RESERVE
RESIDE
RESIDUE
RESIGN
RESIST
NOT
RESOLUTE
RESOLVE
INTENSITY
NOT
RESORT
PEOPLE
RESOUND
RESPECT
INTENSITY
NOT
RESPITE
RESPONSIVE
REST [relax]
STATE
TIME
NOT
REST [remainder]
RESTITUTION
RESTORE
NOT
RESTRAIN
NOT
RESUME
RESURRECTION
RETAIL
RETAIN
PEOPLE
RETINUE
RETIRE
RETOLD
RETORT
RETRACT
RETREAT
RETROGRADE
RETURN
TIME
REVEAL
REVEL
PEOPLE
REVENGE
REVENUE
REVERB
REVERENCE
POLITENESS
NOT
REVERSE
NOT
REVIEW
REVILE
REVISIT
REVIVE
REVOKE
REVOLT
REVOLVE
INTENSITY
REWARD
PEOPLE
NOT
REWORD
RHAPSODY
RHETORIC
RHEUM
RHINOCEROS
RHUBARB
RHYME
ACTION
PEOPLE
TYPE
RIB
EVENT
STATE
RIBALD
RIBAND
RIBAUDRED
RIBBON
RICE
RICH
STATE
ACTION
RID
RIDDLE
RIDE
INTENSITY
PEOPLE
STATE
RIDGE
RIDICULOUS
RIFLE
RIFT
RIG
RIGGISH
RIGHT [correct]
ACTION
GOOD
INTENSITY
PLACE
NOT
RIGHT [direction]
RIGOL
RIGOUR
RIM
RIND
RING [bell]
RING [finger]
ACTION
PEOPLE
TYPE
RINGLEADER
RINSE
RIOT
PEOPLE
RIP
RIPE
COLOUR
TYPE
INTENSITY
NOT
RISE
TIME
RITE
RIVAGE
RIVAL
EMOTION
PEOPLE
RELATIONSHIP
NOT
RIVE
RIVER
RIVET
ROAD
ACTION
ROAM
ROAN
ROAR
INTENSITY
ROAST
STATE
ROB
PEOPLE
ROBE
ACTION
OBJECT
PEOPLE
NOT
ROBIN
ROBUSTIOUS
ROCK [move]
ROCK [stone]
STATE
ROD
ROE [animal]
ROE [fish]
ROGUE
ROISTING
ROLL [move]
ROLL [writing]
ACTION
NOT
ROMAGE
ROME
PEOPLE
RONDURE
RONYON
ROOD
TIME
ROOF
NOT
ROOK
ROOM
PLACE
SPACE
ROOT
STATE
NOT
ROPE
ACTION
OBJECT
PEOPLE
ROSE
COLOUR
PART OF BODY
TYPE
ROT
ROTE
ROTUNDITY
ROUGH
ACTION
OBJECT
STATE
NOT unrough
ROUND
ACTION
PART OF BODY
ROUSE
ACTION
ROUT
ROVE
PEOPLE
ROW [line]
ROWEL
PART
ROYAL
APPEARANCE
NTENSITY
PLACE
ROYNISH
RUB
RUBBISH
RUBY
RUDDER
RUDDINESS
RUDDOCK
RUDDY
RUDE
PEOPLE
PLANT
RUDIMENTS
RUE [pity]
RUE [plant]
RUFF
RUFFIAN
RUFFLE
RUG
ANIMAL
RUIN
RULE
ACTION
PEOPLE
STATE
TIME
NOT
RUMBLE
RUMINATE
RUMOUR
PEOPLE
RUMP
STATE
RUN
ACTION
PEOPLE
TIME
RUPTURE
RURAL
RUSH [move]
RUSH [plant]
OBJECT
TYPE
RUSHLING
RUSSET
PART OF BODY
RUST
RUSTIC
PEOPLE
RUSTLE
RUSTY
RUT
TIME
RUTH
NOT
RYE
APPEARANCE
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