Act I - Scene III A Street. Thunder and Lightning — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from Act I - Scene III A Street. Thunder and Lightning

portentous

Serving as an omen or warning of something momentous, often something disastrous.

prodigious

Unnatural; ominous; monstrous in a way that inspires awe or fear.

construe

To interpret or explain the meaning of something, often in a particular way.

retentive

Having the ability to hold or contain; capable of keeping something confined.

thews

Muscular strength; well-developed muscles or physical power.

rived

Split or torn apart violently.

unbraced

With clothing unfastened or loosened; not properly dressed.

thunderstone

A thunderbolt; in Elizabethan belief, a stone or meteorite thought to fall during a lightning strike.

glaz’d

Stared or gazed (variant of "glazed"); looked with a fixed, intense stare.

saucy

Insolent or presumptuous; showing a lack of proper respect (in Elizabethan usage, far stronger than the modern sense).

prodigies

Extraordinary or unnatural events regarded as omens; marvels or portents.

conjointly

Together; in combination; occurring at the same time.

sufferance

Patient endurance of hardship or wrong; passive submission to oppression.

factious

Inclined to form factions or engage in organized opposition; partisan.

countenance

A person’s face or facial expression; by extension, one’s approval, support, or moral authority.

hinds

Female deer; used metaphorically to mean timid, cowardly people.

fleering

Laughing mockingly or scornfully; sneering.

offal

Refuse or waste matter; the entrails of a butchered animal. Used metaphorically to mean worthless material.