Since this week marks William Shakespeare's birthday, how could we not devote the week to words he coined? As Shipley notes in the book I've previously quoted, "Shakespeare, as might be expected, was the greatest wordmaker of them all. Of the 17,677 words Shakespeare employs in his plays and poems, his is the first known use of well over 1700: one new word in every ten."

Obviously, some of Shakespeare's coinages failed to catch on. We'll note some words that you may know, but not realize are of Shakespearean origin.

abstemious - moderate and temperate in ones eating and drinking.

Shakespeare uses abstemious to mean moderate in sexual appetites, which is not current usage.

quote:

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Look thou be true; do not give dalliance
Too much the rein. The strongest oaths are straw
To the fire i' the blood. Be more abstemious,
Or else, good night your vow!
- The Tempest, IV.1.

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