ROMEO AND JULIET—Vocabulary
Act I
1. adversary| noun, An enemy or opponent | “Here were the servants of your adversary” (1.1:
108)
2. apparel| noun, Clothing, especially outer garments; attire | “When well-appareled April on the
heel of limping winter tread.” (1.2:27)
3. augment| verb, To make (something already developed or well under way) greater in size,
extent, or quantity | “So early seen him walking with tears augmenting the fresh morning’s
dew” (1.1:135)
4. forfeit| noun, Something surrendered or subject to surrender as punishment for a crime, an
offense, an error, or a breach of contract | “If ever you disturb our streets again, your lives shall
pay the forfeit of the peace” (1.1: 99)
5. nuptial| noun, a wedding; marriage | “Tis since the nuptial of [Lucentio] Come Pentecost as
quickly as it will some five and twenty years, and then we masked. (1.5: 41)
6. pernicious| adj, highly injurious or destructive: tending to a fatal issue: Deadly | “You men, you
beasts, That quench the fire of your pernicious rage with purple fountains issuing from your
veins…” (1.1:86).
7. purge | verb, 1. To free from impurities; purify. 2. To rid of sin, guilt, or defilement| “Thus from
my lips, by thine, my sin is purged. (1.5: 118)
8. profane| verb, to treat (anything sacred) with irreverence; violate the sanctity of. | “If I
profane with my unworthiest hand, This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this…” (1.5:104)
9. valiant| adj, boldly courageous; brave; stout-hearted | “To move is to stir, and to be valiant is to
stand.” (1.1: 9)
10. virtuous| adj, Having or showing virtue, especially moral excellence | "And, to say truth, Verona
brags of him to be a virtuous well-governed youth” (1.5:)
Act II
1. conjure| verb, raise: summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic | “I
conjure thee by Rosaline’s bright eyes, By her high forehead, and her scarlet lips, by fine foot,
straight leg…(2.1: 8)
2. discourses| verb, To speak or write formally and at length .| “Her eye discourses; I will answer
it” (2.2:13)
3. enmity| noun, deep-seated, often mutual hate | “Look thou but sweet, and I am proof against
their enmity.” (2.2: 78)
4. exposition| noun, setting forth meaning or intent | “A most courtesous exposition” (2.4:58)
5. extremity| noun, The extreme or terminal point, limit or part of something | “Temp’ring
extremities with extreme sweet” (2. Chorus: 14)
6. intercession| noun, Mediation in a dispute | “My intercession likewise steads my foe” (2.3: 57)
7. invocation| noun, any petitioning or supplication for help or aid | “My invocation is fair and
honest.” (2.1: 30)
8. vexed| adj, Irritated, distressed, or annoyed | “Now, afore God, I am so vexed that every part
about me quivers” (2.4:164)
9. vile |adj, Loathsome; disgusting |“For naught so vile that on the earth doth give, But to the earth
some special good doth give…” (2.3:17)
10. chide verb, to express disapproval of; scold; reproach. "So smile the heavens upon this holy act,
that after-hours with sorrow chide us not" (2.6.1-2).
Act III
1. minstrel | noun, a musician, singer, or poet. | "What, dost thous make us minstrels? An thou
make minstrels of us, look to here nothing but discords" (3.1.47-49)
2. gallant | adj, brave, spirited, noble-minded, or chivalrous | "That gallant spirit hath aspired the
clouds, which too untimely here did scorn the earth" (3.1.122-123).
3. exile | verb, to expel or banish (a person) from his or her country; expatriate. | "And for that
offense immediately we do exile him hence" (3.1.196-197).
4. repent | verb, to feel sorry for; regret: | "But I'll amerce you with so strong a fine that you shall
all repent the loss of mine" (3.1.200-201).
5. pardon | verb, to release (a person) from liability for an offense. | "Mercy but murders,
pardoning those that kill" (3.1.207).
6. amorous | adj, showing or expressing love | "Lovers can see to do their amorous rites but their
own beauties, or, if love be blind, it best agrees with night" (3.2.8-10).
7. eloquence| noun, the practice or art of using language with fluency and aptness. | "...and every
tongue that speaks but Romeo's name speaks heavenly eloquence" (3.2.35-36).
8. banish | verb, to expel from or relegate to a country or place by authoritative decree; condemn
to exile: | "Tybalt is gone and Romeo banished" (3.2.75).
9. lament | noun, an expression of grief or sorrow. | "...which modern lamentation might have
moved?" (3.2.131)
10. jocund| adj, cheerful; merry; gay; blithe; glad: | "Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day
stands tiptoe on the misty mountain-tops" (3.5.9-10).
Act IV
1. inundate|verb, to flood; cover or overspread with water; deluge. 2. to overwhelm | "...to stop
the inundation of her tears,"(4.1.12)
2. slander| noun, defamation; calumny 2. a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report.
| "That is no slander, sir, which is a truth" (4.1.34)
3. pensive| adj, expressing or revealing thoughtfulness, usually marked by some sadness | "My
leisure serves me, pensive daughter, now." (4.1.40)
4. deprive| verb, to remove or withhold something from the enjoyment or possession of | "Each
part, deprived of supple government, shall, stiff and stark and cold, appear like death" (4.1.104)
5. kindred| noun, a person's relatives collectively; kinfolk; kin. | "...where all the kindred of the
Capulets lie." (4.1.114)
6. wayward | adj, turned or turning away from what is right or proper; willful; disobedient: | "My
heart is wondrous light since this same wayward girl is so reclaimed" (4.2.49)
7. behoove| verb, to be worthwhile to, as for personal profit or advantage | "...we have culled such
necessaries as are behooveful for our state tomorrow" (4.3.8)
8. vial| noun, a small container, as of glass, for holding liquids: | "Come, vial." (4.3.21)
9. solace| noun,comfort in sorrow, misfortune, or trouble; alleviation of distress or
discomfort.| "...but one thing to rejoice and solace in," (4.5.53)
10. beguile| verb, to influence by trickery, flattery, etc.; mislead; delude | "Most detestable death,
by thee beguiled..." (4.5.62)
Act V
1. aloof | adv, at a distance, esp. in feeling or interest; apart | "Give me thy torch, boy. Hence and
stand aloof" (5.3.1).
2. detestable| adj, deserving to be detested; abominable; hateful.| "Thou detestable maw, thou
womb of death, gorged with the dearest morsel of the earth..." (5.3.45).
3. vengeance| noun, infliction of injury, harm, humiliation, or the like, on a person by another who
has been harmed by that person; violent revenge | "Can vengeance be pursued further than
death?" (5.3.55).
4. apprehend| verb, to take into custody; arrest by legal warrant or authority | "Condemned
villain, I do apprehend thee" (5.3.56).
5. peruse| verb, to read through with thoroughness or care |"Let me peruse this face" (5.3.74).
6. abhor | verb, to regard with extreme repugnance or aversion; detest utterly; loathe; abominate
| "And that the lean abhorred monster keeps thee here in dark to be his paramour?" (5.3.104).
7. inauspicious| adj, boding ill; ill-omened; unfavorable. | "And shake the yoke of inauspicious
stars from this world-wearied flesh!" (5.3.111-112).
8. discern| verb, to perceive by the sight or some other sense or by the intellect; see, recognize, or
apprehend | "As I discern, it burneth in the Capels' monument" (5.3.126-127).
9. ambiguity| noun, doubtfulness or uncertainty of meaning or intention | "Seal up the mouth of
outrage for awhile, till we can clear up these ambiguities" (5.3.224-225).
10. tedious| adj, marked by tedium; long and tiresome | "I will be brief, for my short date of breath
is not so long as is a tedious tale" (5.3.239).