Shakespeare

== English == === Alternative forms === Shakespere, Shakspeare, Shakspere (obsolete) === Etymology === A common Middle English surname meaning spearman, corresponding to shake (“to brandish a weapon”) + spear. === Pronunciation === (General American) IPA(key): /ˈʃeɪkspɪɹ/ (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈʃeɪkspɪə/ (Standard Southern British) IPA(key): /ˈʃɛjkspɪː/, /ˈʃɛjkspɪə/ Hyphenation: Shake‧speare === Proper noun === Shakespeare (countable and uncountable, plural Shakespeares) A surname. William Shakespeare, an English playwright and poet of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Synonyms: the Bard, Shakey (metonymic) William Shakespeare's works or media adaptations of his works. A place name: A village in Perth East township, Ontario, Canada, named after the playwright. A ghost town in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, United States. ==== Usage notes ==== William Shakespeare's manuscripts use a great many different spellings of his surname, of which there are a great number to list here. At the time, name spellings were much more variable than today, see Spelling of Shakespeare's name for a list. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== → Vietnamese: Sếch-xpia ==== Translations ==== === Noun === Shakespeare (countable and uncountable, plural Shakespeares) (uncountable) Any form or style of language that is eloquent, especially in English; poetry. (countable) A playwright of the standing of William Shakespeare. === Verb === Shakespeare (third-person singular simple present Shakespeares, present participle Shakespearing, simple past and past participle Shakespeared) (intransitive) To act or perform in a play of the works of Shakespeare. === See also === Category:English terms first attested in Shakespeare == Portuguese == === Pronunciation === === Proper noun === Shakespeare m Shakespeare (William Shakespeare, English playwright) ==== Derived terms ==== shakespeariano