ACT III - Scene IV — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from ACT III - Scene IV

degrees (noun)

Ranks or social positions; here, Macbeth tells his guests to sit according to their order of precedence.

dispatch'd (verb)

Killed; put to death. A euphemism for murder commonly used in Shakespeare's era.

nonpareil (noun)

A person or thing without equal; unrivaled. From French, meaning "without parallel."

trenched (adjective)

Deeply cut or gashed, as if carved into trenches.

cabin'd (adjective)

Confined or shut in, as if trapped in a small cabin.

vouch'd (verb)

Affirmed or guaranteed; declared to be true by verbal assurance.

infirmity (noun)

A physical or mental weakness; an illness or ailment.

appal (verb)

To fill with horror or dismay; to shock deeply. (Archaic spelling of "appall.")

impostors (noun)

People or things that deceive by pretending to be something they are not.

charnel houses (noun)

Vaults or buildings where the bones of the dead are stored; ossuaries.

speculation (noun)

The power of sight or intelligent observation. (In modern usage, the word primarily means conjecture.)

avaunt (interjection)

Begone! Go away! An archaic exclamation used to drive someone or something off.

marrowless (adjective)

Without marrow (the soft tissue inside bones); meaning lifeless, without substance or vitality.

augures (noun)

Omens, prophecies, or signs interpreted from nature; related to "augury," the practice of divination.

largesse (noun)

Generous gifts or hospitality, especially from a person of high rank.

blanch'd (adjective)

Turned white or pale, especially from fear or shock.