ACT II - Scene VI — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from ACT II - Scene VI

countervail (verb)

To counterbalance or offset; to compensate for.

powder (noun)

Gunpowder; an explosive substance used in warfare.

loathsome (adjective)

Causing intense disgust or hatred; repulsive.

confounds (verb)

Defeats or destroys; causes confusion or ruin.

flint (noun)

A very hard type of stone; here used figuratively for the stone floor or path.

gossamer (noun)

An extremely fine, filmy substance, such as a spider's web floating in the air.

wanton (adjective)

Playful and unrestrained; moving freely without direction.

vanity (noun)

In Elizabethan usage: worldly pleasure, earthly love, or transience (not modern "excessive pride").

ghostly (adjective)

In Elizabethan usage: spiritual or relating to the soul (not "resembling a ghost").

blazon (verb)

To proclaim or describe in elaborate, glowing terms; to display publicly.

conceit (noun)

In Elizabethan usage: a thought, idea, or conception of the mind (not modern "vanity").

ornament (noun)

Decorative embellishment; here meaning fancy or flowery language.

incorporate (verb)

To unite into one body; to merge two entities into a single whole.

bestride (verb)

To stand or walk over something with one's legs on either side; to straddle.