ποΈHistory
Shakespeare Invented Over 1,700 Words We Still Use Today
William Shakespeare created approximately 1,700 words that didn't exist before, including 'eyeball,' 'fashionable,' and 'lonely.'
About this fact
Shakespeare had an enormous impact on the English language, inventing words when existing vocabulary couldn't express his ideas. He created words by changing nouns into verbs, connecting words never before used together, adding prefixes and suffixes, and devising completely original terms. Some of his inventions include 'assassination,' 'bedroom,' 'courtship,' 'dwindle,' 'generous,' 'gloomy,' 'hurry,' 'majestic,' 'obsequious,' 'premeditated,' 'suspicious,' and 'uncomfortable.' Many phrases we use daily also originated from his plays, such as 'break the ice,' 'heart of gold,' and 'wild goose chase.'