Shakespeare’s plays are a goldmine of archaic verbs that have either vanished or morphed into modern equivalents. Some still linger in poetry, while others were replaced entirely. Here’s a look at 20 verbs from his era and their contemporary counterparts.
1. Hie → Hurry
Hie
/haɪ/“Hurry”
To move swiftly. Shakespeare often used it for urgent commands, like 'Hie thee hither!'
Modern English prefers 'hurry' or 'rush', though 'hie' survives in dialects and poetic usage.
2. Wot → Know
Wot
/wɒt/“Know”
An archaic form of 'know', as in 'I wot not what I should think of it'.
3. Fain → Gladly
Fain
/feɪn/“Gladly”
To do something willingly or with pleasure. 'I would fain learn' became 'I’d gladly learn'.
4. Mew → Confine
Mew
/mjuː/“Confine”
To shut away or imprison, as in 'mewed up in a prison'. Now obsolete outside falconry (where it refers to a bird’s moulting cage).
5. Prick → Spur
Prick
/prɪk/“Spur”
To urge a horse onward with spurs. 'Prick on thy fear' shifted to 'spur on'.
6. Whelm → Overwhelm
Whelm
/wɛlm/“Overwhelm”
Originally meant to submerge or engulf. 'Whelm' was later eclipsed by 'overwhelm'.
7. Holla → Shout
Holla
/ˈhɒlə/“Shout”
A call to attract attention, like 'Holla, your name!' Now just 'shout' or 'call out'.
8. Clapper-claw → Thrash
Clapper-claw
/ˈklæpərklɔː/“Thrash”
To beat or scold harshly. This colourful term faded in favour of 'thrash' or 'berate'.
9. Cozen → Cheat
Cozen
/ˈkʌzən/“Cheat”
To deceive or trick. 'Cozen' survives in legal jargon but was replaced by 'cheat' colloquially.
10. Fadge → Suit
Fadge
/fædʒ/“Suit”
To fit or succeed, as in 'It fadges not with me'. Now 'suit' or 'work'.
Many of these verbs vanished because English streamlined over time. Some, like 'fadge', were simply too niche to survive.
11. Beteem → Permit
Beteem
/bɪˈtiːm/“Permit”
To allow or grant. 'I would not beteem the air' became 'I wouldn’t permit it'.
12. Misdoubt → Suspect
Misdoubt
/mɪsˈdaʊt/“Suspect”
To distrust or suspect. 'Misdoubt' was overtaken by 'suspect' in modern usage.
13. Quail → Cower
Quail
/kweɪl/“Cower”
To shrink in fear. The verb 'quail' is now rare, replaced by 'cower' or 'flinch'.
14. Smatter → Chatter
Smatter
/ˈsmætər/“Chatter”
To talk superficially. 'Smatter' survives in 'smattering' (a little knowledge) but lost its verbal form.
15. Yerk → Jerk
Yerk
/jɜːk/“Jerk”
To pull sharply. 'Yerk' evolved into 'jerk', though the spelling shifted.
16. Foin → Thrust
Foin
/fɔɪn/“Thrust”
To thrust with a sword. A fencing term that vanished with the decline of duelling.
17. Pluck → Pull
Pluck
/plʌk/“Pull”
Originally meant to pull forcefully. 'Pluck' still exists but narrowed to mean 'remove feathers' or 'show courage'.
18. Wawl → Howl
Wawl
/wɔːl/“Howl”
To cry loudly. 'Wawl' merged into 'howl', though it survives in some dialects.
19. Sneck → Latch
Sneck
/snɛk/“Latch”
To fasten a door. 'Sneck' is now regional, replaced by 'latch'.
20. Fangle → Fashion
Fangle
/ˈfæŋɡəl/“Fashion”
To invent or adopt new trends. 'Fangle' survives in 'newfangled' but lost its verb form.
