bawd
a pimp, one who panders or procures prostitutes
beaver
the mouthpiece of a helmet
bowls
a game similar to bocce ball, wherein the players roll misshapen balls towards a smaller ball to see who can make it the closest
capon
a eunuch
capricious
guided by whim or fancy
caroche
a luxurious coach meant for town use
carved
has two meanings in the context of the play: a) shown great courtesy; b) castrated
chafed
heated, rubbed, fretted
chirugeon
surgeon
close
secret
coxcomb
a fool or simpleton
cuckold
the husband of an unfaithful women, usually depicted with donkey horns on his head
cut-works
a kind of openwork embroidery or lace worn in the latter part of the 16th and in the 17th centuries
Democritus
an Ancient Greek philosopher, often consider the "father of modern science"
dissembling
deceitful, hypocritical
dumb show
a part of a play represented by action without speech, chiefly in order to exhibit more of the story than could otherwise be included
Dutch doublet
a Dutch style of jacket that is close-fitting except for its large breeches
ephemerides
astrological tables that show the predicted positions of heavenly bodies
foot-cloth
a large and ornamented cloth that covers the back of a horse
idle
worthless
issue
offspring, children
leon
a leash
moor
a Muslim of mixed Berber and Arab descent, found in north-western Africa
mummia
a medicine made of dead flesh
mutton
slang for loose women
painted
false, artificial
pander
a person who assists the immoral urges or evil designs of others
pashed
smashed, crushed
philosopher's stone
a legendary substance that supposedly turns ordinary metals into precious ones, cures diseases, and extends life; in the play, the phrase also refers to testicles
phoenix
a legendary bird that supposedly lived for hundreds of years; when it died, it burned itself in a funeral pyre, and its youthful reincarnation would rise from its ashes
physic
to treat with medicine
prodigal
extravagant, and recklessly wasteful of property
prodigious
unnatural, portentous
provocative electuaries
aphrodisiacs
quae negata grata
Latin for "what is denied is desired"
quicksilver
mercury
strumpet
a prostitute or whore
travailing
an archaic term for "traveling," but also a way to say "laboring or exerting oneself"
winter's snake
a mythical, ancient serpent with a head at either side of its body; a symbol for the devil, it can move in both directions, and seeks cold temperatures
