William Shakespeare

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

In honor of William Shakespeare’s birthday on April 26,  listed below are words popularized by the Bard himself. Shakespeare may not have coined the following terms, it is hard to know for certain that the list below contains terms invented by the beloved playwright. These words may have been in conversational usage when he committed them to the page, or they may have previously appeared in the writings of his less-prominent contemporaries. Whether or not these words are Shakespeare coinages, the plays of Shakespeare indubitably brought many novel words and phrases to the universal consciousness of English speakers worldwide. The continued popularity of Shakespeare’s writing keeps 16th- and 17th-century words alive that might have otherwise faded into obscurity.

bedazzle
foul-mouthed
bedroom
swagger
well-bred
champion
droplet
pageantry
inaudible
eyeball