ACT II - Scene II — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from ACT II - Scene II

incarnadine (verb)

To dye or stain red; to make flesh-colored. From Latin incarnare, meaning to make flesh.

multitudinous (adjective)

Existing in great numbers; vast and numerous. Here it describes the immensity of the world’s oceans.

surfeited (adjective)

Having overindulged, especially in food or drink; excessively full.

possets (noun)

Hot drinks made from milk curdled with ale or wine, often taken before bed as a nightcap.

bellman (noun)

A town crier or night watchman who rang a bell; also the person who rang a bell outside condemned prisoners’ cells the night before execution.

infirm (adjective)

Weak in body or mind; lacking strength of purpose or resolve.

appals (verb)

Fills with dismay, horror, or shock. Variant spelling of appalls.

constancy (noun)

Firmness of mind; steadfast resolve and self-possession.

gild (verb)

To cover with a thin layer of gold; here used figuratively (and punningly) to mean smearing with blood. The pun links "gild" with "guilt."

sleave (noun)

A thin, soft strand of untwisted silk; tangled or frayed threads. Figuratively, the tangled threads of worry.

confounds (verb)

Ruins or destroys; brings to confusion and defeat.

brainsickly (adverb)

In a mentally disturbed or disordered manner; with a sick or troubled mind.

unbend (verb)

To slacken or weaken; to relax one’s strength or resolve. From the image of unbending a drawn bow.

quench (verb)

To extinguish or put out (a fire or light); to suppress or satisfy.

witness (noun)

Evidence or testimony; here used figuratively to mean the blood on Macbeth’s hands, which serves as visible evidence of his crime.