0
The pronoun "thou" which has now for the most part become restricted in use to devotional and poetic uses, was in the Middle English period the only way to talk about someone in the second person singular. Nowadays if we say "You are a fathead" and "You are a bunch of fatheads" we use the same pronoun, "you" and the same verb form "are". But in the Early Modern English period, and with decreasing frequency over the centuries, instead of saying "You are a fathead" people would say "Thou art a fathead." (They would still say "You are a bunch of fatheads"--that hasn't changed) They used "thou" instead of "you", and that meant a different verb form "art" instead of "are"
The different verb forms applied to all verbs. Usually this meant the same verb stem with -st or -est on the end. "Thou meanest" is the same as "you mean"; "thou canst" is "you can"; "thou goest" is "you go"; "thou mayest" is "you may"; "thou hadst" is "you had". Using this pattern it is easy to see what "rememberest" must mean.
I gave you the long answer in the hope that you will never have to ask the meaning of a verb form ending in -st again.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
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 meration mean in the play of romeo and julliet?
There is no word "meration" in Shakespeare.
What does shakespeare mean by the word fie?
Used to express distaste or disapproval.
What does shakespeare mean by the word thrice?
Tuu;6r0 dn7fcijnb-n0ce
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.
