nicety,
coyness
Nicholas,
patron saint of scholars;
Saint Nicholas’
clerks, highwaymen
nickname,
name wrongly
niggard,
to act in a miserly way, supply sparingly
night-gown,
dressing gown
night-rule,
disorder by night
nine-men’s morris,
cutting in turf for game played with nine pegs or discs
Niobe,
overboastful of her children, who were slain; she was herself turned to stone
nittical,
nit-infested
noise,
rumour, strife, music, band of musicians; clamour, spread by rumour
noll,
head
nonsuit,
to refuse to listen to or grant the suit of
nook-shotten,
having a very uneven outline
notch,
cut with notches, slash
notedly,
precisely
nothing,
vulva
notion,
understanding, mind
nourish,
bring up, nurture
novum,
dice-game in which chief throws are nine and five
noyance,
injury, harm
nuncio,
messenger
nursery,
nursing, care
nut-hook,
beadle, constable
oathable,
fit to take an oath
ob.,
abbreviation of ‘obolus’, halfpenny
objection,
charge, accusation
obligation,
contract
obliged,
pledged
obsequious,
dutiful, dutiful in funeral rites
observant,
obsequious servant
observe,
humour
occasion,
opportunity, pretext, cause, course of events
occulted,
hidden
occupation,
business, handicraft, trade
occupy,
have to do with sexually
occurrent,
event
oddly,
unevenly
oeillade,
inviting glance, ogling
o’erblow,
blow away
o’ercount,
outnumber
o’ercrow,
triumph over
o’erdyed,
dyed with a second colour
o’ereaten,
left after most has been eaten
o’erflourished,
decorated on the outside
o’erlook,
examine, bewitch, despise
o’ermaster,
possess
o’erparted,
having too difficult a part
o’er-peer,
rise above
o’erpost,
get over easily
o’er-raught,
overtook
o’er-teemed,
worn out by child-bearing
o’er-watch,
stay awake too long
o’erwhelm,
overhang
o’erwrested,
strained
offend,
harm, hurt
offer,
act on the offensive, venture
office,
function, service
offices,
parts of a house devoted to household matters
omit,
neglect, disregard, lay aside
omittance,
postponement
open-arse,
medlar (fruit)
operant,
effecting, effective
operation,
effect, efficacy
opinion,
censure, public judgement, self-conceit, self-confidence
opposeless,
irresistible
opposite,
antagonist, opponent; hostile, adverse
oppress,
suppress, distress
oppression,
burden, distress
oppugnancy,
conflict
orb,
circle, sphere, sphere in which a star moves, heavenly body, earth
ordinance,
what is ordained, established rule, decree, rank
ordinary,
fixed-price tavern meal, ‘ordinary run’
orgulous,
proud
orifex,
aperture
orison,
prayer
ort,
fragment, scrap
ostent,
appearance, show
ostentation,
appearance, show, spectacle
othergates,
in another way
otherwhiles,
at times
ouch,
jewel
ounce,
lynx
ouph,
elf
ousel,
blackbird
outbrave,
to surpass in beauty or valour
outlandish,
foreign
outlive,
survive
outpeer,
surpass
outrageous,
violent, volatile
outsell,
exceed in value
outside,
outer garment
outward,
outward appearance
overdrip,
drip over, overshadow
overhear,
hear over again
overhold,
overestimate
overlook,
overtop, look down on from above, read through
overpeer,
rise above, look down on
overscutched,
made haggard with beating, worn out
overture,
disclosure; formal opening, first indication
Ovid,
Roman poet who was sent into exile
owe,
own, possess
pace,
train (a horse) to pace
pack,
gang; conspire, shuffle (cards), to cheat, be off
packing,
plotting
paddock,
toad
pageant,
show, spectacle
pain,
trouble, punishment
painful,
laborious, toilsome
pale,
fence, enclosure; enclose, encircle
palisado,
staked fence
pall,
fail
palliament,
white robe of a candidate for the Roman consulship
palmer
, pilgrim
palsy,
tremors
palter,
equivocate, use trickery
pander,
go-between in a love affair, pimp
Pandion,
see PHILOMEL
pantaloon,
foolish old man
pantler,
servant in charge of the pantry
paper,
notice specifying offence committed; write down
paragon,
compare, excel, show as a model
Parca,
one of the three fates who prepared and cut the thread of human life
parcel,
part, item, group
parcel-gilt,
partly gilded
pard,
panther or leopard
pardie,
certainly, indeed
Paris ball,
tennis ball
paritor,
official who summoned offenders to an ecclesiastical court
parlous,
perilous, cunning, dreadful, shrewd, clever
part,
action, side
partage,
freight, cargo
partake,
impart, take sides
partaker,
confederate, supporter
parted,
divided, gifted
partialize,
make partial
particular,
detail, individual, personal interest, intimacy; private, personal
partisan,
footsoldier’s weapon, a long-handled spear with a blade
parts,
qualities, accomplishments
pash, head;
to strike violently, smash
passado,
a forward thrust in fencing
passant,
heraldic term of beast stepping; surpassing
passenger,
traveller on foot
passing,
excessively
passion,
suffering, affliction, fit of disease, overpowering emotion, passionate speech, sorrow; feel deep emotion
passionate,
express with passion; compassionate, sorrowful
patch,
fool
patchery,
trickery
paten,
thin circular metal plate
patent,
title, privilege, authority
patience,
permission, leave
patronage,
uphold, defend
pattern,
precedent, model; to give an example, be a pattern or precedent for
pax,
tablet kissed by priest and congregation in celebration of mass
peach,
denounce, turn informer
peat,
spoilt girl
peck,
pitch
peculiar,
individual, private, belonging to one person
pedant,
schoolmaster
peeled,
tonsured
Pegasus,
winged horse
peise,
balance, weight, suspend
pelf,
property, possessions
pelican,
believed to feed its young with its own blood
pelt,
rage, scold
pelting,
paltry, worthless
pencil,
paintbrush
pendulous,
impending, suspended
pensioners,
royal bodyguard
Penthesilea,
Amazon queen
peradventure,
by chance, perhaps
perdition,
ruin, loss, damnation
perdurable,
everlasting
peregrinate,
travelled, foreign in style
perfect,
fully informed, equipped, ready; accomplish, instruct
perfection,
performance, completion
periapt,
amulet
period,
end, goal, highest point, full pause, full stop; to end
perjure,
perjurer; corrupt
perniciously,
to destruction
perpend,
consider
persistive,
steadfast
perspective,
optical device for producing fantastic images; picture of figure producing a distorted or unexpected effect
pert,
lively
pervert,
turn aside
pester,
throng, obstruct
pestiferous,
pernicious
phantasim,
fantastic being
Philomel, Philomela,
daughter of Pandion, raped by Tereus (husband of her sister Progne), who cut out her tongue; she wove her story into a tapestry. Progne feasted Tereus on their murdered son; Philomela was changed into a nightingale.
Phoebe,
Diana, goddess of the moon