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Well, for a start, he means "metal" with the exact modern meaning, as in this quotation from Hamlet, " like some ore Among a mineral of metals base, Shows itself pure." and this from Love's Labour's Lost: "Is not lead a metal heavy, dull, and slow?"
But in a more general sense, it meant "the stuff something is made of". A lot of things were made of metal in those days, which explains the connection. An example from King Lear: "Sir, I am made Of the selfsame metal that my sister is, And prize me at her worth." and from Much Ado: "Not till God make men of some other metal than
earth."
The concept of metals was used by alchemists who were trying to change "base metals" (like iron, which was cheap and plentiful) into gold (which was neither cheap nor plentiful)
The word "metal" should not be confused with "mettle" which means value, spirit or temperament.
What else can I help you with?
What does Shakespeare's word mad-bread mean?
Sorry, Shakespeare did not use that word.
What does Shakespeare mean by the word townsfolk?
Shakespeare does not use the word townsfolk.
What does Shakespeare mean by the word forth?
In a forward direction.
What does shortened word oft mean in shakespeare?
Oft is not a shortened word. Often is a lengthened word. The original word is oft and the form often did not appear until about a century before Shakespeare's day. They are, of course, the same word and mean the same thing.
What does gi' mean in shakespeare plays?
William Shakespeare sometimes uses the word gi in his plays. This word has the same meaning as the word give.
What does Shakespeare's word mad-bread mean?
Sorry, Shakespeare did not use that word.
What does Shakespeare mean by the word townsfolk?
Shakespeare does not use the word townsfolk.
What does Shakespeare mean by the word forth?
In a forward direction.
What does Shakespeare mean by the word the?
Shakespeare wrote in English. "The" means exactly the same when he used it as it does when you use it.
What does shortened word oft mean in shakespeare?
Oft is not a shortened word. Often is a lengthened word. The original word is oft and the form often did not appear until about a century before Shakespeare's day. They are, of course, the same word and mean the same thing.
What does gi' mean in shakespeare plays?
William Shakespeare sometimes uses the word gi in his plays. This word has the same meaning as the word give.
What does Shakespeare mean by the word waxen?
Waxen means made of wax. Its meaning has not changed since Shakespeare used it.
What does shakespeare mean by the word fie?
Used to express distaste or disapproval.
What does meration mean in the play of romeo and julliet?
There is no word "meration" in Shakespeare.
What does shakespeare mean by the word thrice?
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What does Shakespeare mean by the word o'th'other?
It's short for "or the other", as in "one or the other".
What did Shakespeare mean by the word 'then'?
Shakespeare wrote in English, the same language I am using now. There is no such language as "Shakespearean language" or "Shakespeare language". It's English. A word like "then" is a building block of the English language and always means "then" when Shakespeare or any other English speaker uses it.
