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Shakespeare coined or popularised hundreds of words and phrases we still use today.

Literary history

LiteratureHistory

Why it matters

The idea in context

Words and phrases first written down by Shakespeare include 'eyeball', 'lonely', 'swagger', 'gloomy' and 'break the ice'. Whether he invented them or simply captured lively street talk, his plays are the earliest record we have of hundreds of everyday English expressions.

Türkçe

Aynı kart, başka bir dilde.

Shakespeare bugün hâlâ kullandığımız yüzlerce sözcük ve ifadeyi ortaya attı ya da yaygınlaştırdı.

'Eyeball', 'lonely', 'swagger', 'gloomy' ve 'break the ice' gibi sözcük ve deyimler ilk kez Shakespeare'de yazıya geçti. İster onları icat etmiş olsun ister sokak dilini kaydetmiş olsun, oyunları yüzlerce gündelik İngilizce ifadenin elimizdeki en eski kaydıdır.

Source trail

Read beyond the card.

Shakespeare scholarship. Context enriched 2026-07-05.

Background reading: LanguageAttribution and context are revised when stronger evidence appears. Corrections are welcome through the editorial page.
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