The Merchant of Venice Vocab

ado

noun a rapid active commotion

venture

noun any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome; a commercial undertaking that risks a loss but promises a profit; an investment that is very risky but could yield great profits; verb proceed somewhere despite the risk of possibl

ague

noun a fit of shivering or shaking; successive stages of chills and fever that is a symptom of malaria; a mark (') placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation

kinsman

noun a male relative

mortify

verb hold within limits and control; practice self-denial of one's body and appetites; undergo necrosis; cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of

jaundice

noun yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes caused by an accumulation of bile pigment (bilirubin) in the blood; can be a symptom of gallstones or liver infection or anemia; a rough and bitter manner; verb affect with, or as if with, jaundice; di

abridge

verb lessen, diminish, or curtail; reduce in scope while retaining essential elements

prodigal

adj. marked by rash extravagance; very generous; recklessly wasteful; noun a recklessly extravagant consumer

suitor

noun a man who courts a woman

commodity

noun articles of commerce

superfluity

noun extreme excess

smith

noun someone who works metal (especially by hammering it when it is hot and malleable); someone who works at something specified

vile

adj. morally reprehensible; causing or able to cause nausea

woo

verb make amorous advances towards; seek someone's favor

imputation

noun the attribution to a source or cause; a statement attributing something dishonest (especially a criminal offense)

gratis

adj. costing nothing; adv. without payment

fawn

noun young deer; a color or pigment varying around a light grey-brown color; verb have fawns; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering; show submission or fear

fulsome

adj. unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech

bondman

noun a male slave; a male bound to serve without wages

forfeiture

noun the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.; a penalty for a fault or mistake that involves losing or giving up something; something that is lost or surrendered as a penalty

burnish

noun the property of being smooth and shiny; verb polish and make shiny

scimitar

noun a curved oriental saber; the edge is on the convex side of the blade

livery

adj. suffering from or suggesting a liver disorder or gastric distress; noun the care (feeding and stabling) of horses for pay; uniform worn by some menservants and chauffeurs; the voluntary transfer of something (title or possession) from one party to an

impertinent

adj. characterized by a lightly pert and exuberant quality; improperly forward or bold; not pertinent to the matter under consideration

esteem

noun the condition of being honored (esteemed or respected or well regarded); an attitude of admiration or esteem; a feeling of delighted approval and liking; verb look on as or consider; regard highly; think much of

demurely

adv. in a demure manner

mirth

noun great merriment

tediousness

noun dullness owing to length or slowness

heinous

adj. shockingly brutal or cruel

strife

noun bitter conflict; heated often violent dissension; lack of agreement or harmony

lodging

noun the act of lodging; structures collectively in which people are housed; the state or quality of being lodged or fixed even temporarily

whither

why

peruse

verb examine or consider with attention and in detail

drone

noun stingless male bee in a colony of social bees (especially honeybees) whose sole function is to mate with the queen; a pipe of the bagpipe that is tuned to produce a single continuous tone; an aircraft without a pilot that is operated by remote contro

strumpet

noun a woman adulterer

inscription

noun the activity of inscribing (especially carving or engraving) letters or words; letters inscribed (especially words engraved or carved) on something; a short message (as in a book or musical work or on a photograph) dedicating it to someone or somethi

obscure

adj. not clearly understood or expressed; not drawing attention; not famous or acclaimed; marked by difficulty of style or expression; remote and separate physically or socially; difficult to find; verb make obscure or unclear; make difficult to perceive

carrion

noun the dead and rotting body of an animal; unfit for human food

amorous

adj. inclined toward or displaying love; expressive of or exciting sexual love or romance

miscarry

verb suffer a miscarriage; be unsuccessful

nuptial

adj. of or relating to a wedding

barbarous

adj. primitive in customs and culture; (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering

presume

verb take liberties or act with too much confidence; constitute reasonable evidence for; take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof; take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission

glean

verb gather, as of natural products

linger

verb take one's time; proceed slowly; remain present although waning or gradually dying; leave slowly and hesitantly; be about; move to and fro

heresy

noun a belief that rejects the orthodox tenets of a religion; any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position

prolixity

noun boring verbosity

betimes

adv. in good time

usury

noun the act of lending money at an exorbitant rate of interest; an exorbitant or unlawful rate of interest

scorn

noun open disrespect for a person or thing; lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike; verb reject with contempt; look down on with disdain

score

noun a set of twenty members

fortnight

noun a period of fourteen consecutive days

aloof

adj. remote in manner; adv. in an aloof manner

redeem

verb convert into cash; of commercial papers; pay off (loans or promissory notes); to turn in (vouchers or coupons) and receive something in exchange; restore the honor or worth of; exchange or buy back for money; under threat; save from sins

sober

adj. not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol); lacking brightness or color; dull; dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises; completely lacking in playfulness; verb cause to become sober; become sober a

eloquence

noun powerful and effective language

surfeit

noun the state of being more than full; eating until excessively full; the quality of being so overabundant that prices fall; verb indulge (one's appetite) to satiety; supply or feed to surfeit

pertain

verb be a part or attribute of; have to do with or be relevant to

constitution

noun the act of forming something; United States 44-gun frigate that was one of the first three naval ships built by the United States; it won brilliant victories over British frigates during the War of 1812 and is without doubt the most famous ship in th

interpose

verb introduce; be or come between; to insert between other elements; get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action, or through force or threat of force

intercessor

noun a negotiator who acts as a link between parties

yoke

noun stable gear that joins two draft animals at the neck so they can work together as a team; fabric comprising a fitted part at the top of a garment; a connection (like a clamp or vise) between two things so they move together; support consisting of a w

accouter

verb provide with military equipment

fray

noun a noisy fight; verb wear away by rubbing; cause friction

quaint

adj. strange in an interesting or pleasing way; very strange or unusual; odd or even incongruous in character or appearance; attractively old-fashioned (but not necessarily authentic)

lewd

adj. suggestive of or tending to moral looseness; driven by lust; preoccupied with or exhibiting lustful desires

commendable

adj. worthy of high praise; adv. in an admirable manner

adversary

noun someone who offers opposition

obdurate

adj. showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings; stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing

remorse

noun a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)

commiseration

noun a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others; an expression of sympathy with another's grief

loathing

noun hate coupled with disgust

epitaph

noun an inscription on a tombstone or monument in memory of the person buried there; a summary statement of commemoration for a dead person

cur

noun an inferior dog or one of mixed breed; a cowardly and despicable person

ravenous

adj. devouring or craving food in great quantities; extremely hungry

impediment

noun any structure that makes progress difficult; something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress

suffice

verb be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity

precedent

adj. preceding in time, order, or significance; noun an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time; a subject mentioned earlier (preceding in time); (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions; a system o

penance

noun a Catholic sacrament; repentance and confession and satisfaction and absolution; voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing; remorse for your past conduct

entreat

verb ask for or request earnestly

infidel

noun a person who does not acknowledge your god

peril

noun a venture undertaken without regard to possible loss or injury; a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune; a state of danger involving risk; verb put in a dangerous, disadvantageous, or difficult position; pose a threat to; pr

contrive

verb come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort; put or send forth; make or work out a plan for; devise

incur

verb make oneself subject to; bring upon oneself; become liable to; receive a specified treatment (abstract)

recant

verb formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure

gallows

noun an instrument of execution consisting of a wooden frame from which a condemned person is executed by hanging

mercenary

adj. used of soldiers hired by a foreign army; profit oriented; marked by materialism; noun a person hired to fight for another country than their own

proclamation

noun the formal act of proclaiming; giving public notice; a formal public statement

entreat

verb ask for or request earnestly

ere

before

shrew

noun small mouselike mammal with a long snout; related to moles; a scolding nagging bad-tempered woman

wanton

adj. casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior; occurring without motivation or provocation; noun lewd or lascivious woman; verb behave extremely cruelly and brutally; engage in amorous play; spend wastefully; indulge in a carefree or voluptuous way of l

perchance

adv. through chance, "To sleep, perchance to dream.."; by chance

stratagem

noun a maneuver in a game or conversation; an elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or evade

brook

noun a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river); verb put up with something or somebody unpleasant

paltry

adj. contemptibly small in amount; not worth considering

vehement

adj. characterized by great force or energy; marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid

oath

noun a commitment to tell the truth (especially in a court of law); to lie under oath is to become subject to prosecution for perjury; a solemn promise, usually invoking a divine witness, regarding your future acts or behavior; profane or obscene expressi

cuckold

noun a man whose wife committed adultery; verb be sexually unfaithful to one's partner in marriage