nails, by God’s nails

naked, unarmed, plain

Naso, family name of the poet Ovid

native, source, origin; natural, kindred, closely related, rightful

natural, that is so by birth, related by blood, kind, tender; half-wit

naturalize, familiarize

naught, wickedness, wicked, ruined, ruin

naughty, bad, wicked, good-for-nothing

nave, nub, navel

neaf, fist

neat, animal of the ox kind, cattle

neb, mouth

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, driven out to eat grass like cattle

needsly, necessarily

neglect, cause of neglect

nephew, cousin, grandson

Neptune, god of the sea

Nereides, sea-nymphs

Nero, Roman emperor, responsible for the assassination of his mother; believed to have played on the lyre and recited while watching the burning of the city set on fire by his orders

nerve, sinew

nervy, sinewy

Nessus, centaur killed by Hercules for trying to rape Deianira; a tunic dyed with his blood poisoned Hercules

Nestor, oldest and wisest of the Greeks at the siege of Troy

netherland, underworld, lower world

new-cut, a card game

next, nearest, quickest

nice, wanton, delicate, shy, difficult to please, fastidious, scrupulous, subtle, needing precision, delicately balanced, intricate, exact, skilful, trivial

nicely, elegantly, scrupulously, sophistically, exactly

niceness, coyness, fastidiousness

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