Julius Caesar — Vocabulary
William Shakespeare
(Edited)

Play sample Uses ACT/SAT
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disposedispose → disposing:assigning
  Your voice shall be as strong as any man's
  In the disposing of new dignities.p.107.53 more
Show context notes In an attempt to persuade Brutus to join the conspiracy against Caesar, Cassius is saying that Brutus will have a say in who is assigned to new positions of honor.
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Troops were disposed strategically along the northern border.more
dispose → disposed:placed
Show general definition for dispose (as in: disposed the troops along...) the arrangement, positioning, or use of things
Show editor's word notes This sense of dispose can be used in the form disposal to indicate that a person can use something as they wish -- as in:<ul><li>I am at your disposal.</li><li>She has many assets at her disposal.</li></ul>
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dispose#2dispose → disposed:inclined
  Well, Brutus, thou art noble; yet, I see,
  Thy honorable metal may be wrought,
  From that it is disposed:p.33.53 more
Show context notes Cassius is telling Brutus that although Brutus' character is honorable, it could be shaped otherwise.

Note that this usage of mettle is recorded as metal in some editions. Metal works as a metaphor to say the same thing. Both mettle and metal can be wrought (worked into a different shape).
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I am not disposed to help someone who has been so rude.more
dispose → disposed:inclined (with a tendency to; or in the mood to)
Show general definition for dispose (as in: Is she disposed to help?) inclined (with a tendency to; or in the mood to)
Show editor's word notes This is usually seen in the form "disposed to..." or "disposed toward..."
7
conspiratorconspirator → conspirators:participants involved in a secret plot
  This was the noblest Roman of them all:
  All the conspirators, save only he,
  Did that they did in envy of great Caesar;
  He only, in a general-honest thought
  And common good to all, made one of them.p.209.26 more
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The secret meeting in the dimly lit room was filled with hushed whispers among the conspirators, plotting their next move.more
Show general definition a member of a conspiracy (a secret plot)
5
mutinyrebellion
  O masters, if I were disposed to stir
  Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
  I should do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong,
  Who, you all know, are honourable men:p.125.44 more
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The tank battalion's mutiny was put down.more
rebellion against authority
Show general definition open rebellion against authority -- especially by seamen or soldiers against their officers
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banishbanish → banished:expelled from the community
Thy brother by decree is banished:p.97.32 more
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He was banished from his own country.more
banish → banished:forced to leave
Show general definition to expel or get rid of
in various senses, including:
  • to force someone to leave a country as punishment
  • to push an idea from the mind
4
entreatask
  I do entreat you, not a man depart,
  Save I alone, till Antony have spoke.p.121.13 more
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She flattered and entreated him until he agreed to help.more
entreat → entreated:asked
Show general definition to ask -- especially while trying hard to overcome resistance
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prevailwin
Let me, upon my knee, prevail in this.p.79.21 more
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Neither side has the strength to prevail over the other.more
win (prove to be superior)
Show general definition for prevail (as in: reason will prevail) prove superior or win
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omitomit → omitted:left undone
  There is a tide in the affairs of men
  Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
  Omitted, all the voyage of their life
  Is bound in shallows and in miseries.p.167.3
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She recounted the whole story except that she omitted names.more
omit → omitted:left out
Show general definition to exclude or neglect something
2
infirminfirm → infirmities:weaknesses
  A friend should bear his friend's infirmities,
  But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.p.155.61 more
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She is too infirm to walk unassisted.more
weak from old age or disease
Show general definition weak from old age or disease
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loathreluctant
Then he offered it to him again: then he put it by again: but, to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers off it.p.29.3
Show context notes Casca explains that he thought Caesar really wanted a crown.
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She is loath to admit a mistake.more
reluctant or unwilling
Show general definition reluctant or unwilling to do something
Show editor's word notes Word Confusion:  Do not confuse loath with loathe which sounds very similar or the same. Loath is typically used as an adjective while loathe is a verb that means "to dislike greatly".
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coverthidden
How covert matters may be best disclosed,p.143.9
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The spy was involved in a covert operation to gather intelligence on the enemy’s plans.more
secret
Show general definition for covert (as in: a covert plan) done in a secret or hidden way
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yearnyearn → yearns:desires
  That every like is not the same, O Caesar,
  The heart of Brutus yearns to think upon!p.83.9
Show context notes Just before Brutus voices this thought to himself, Caesar, rather than treating them as friends, said they should join him like friends. Brutus thinks of the proverb, "All that is alike is not the same."
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I yearn for her return.more
strongly desire or wish
Show general definition have a strong desire -- often for something difficult or impossible to have
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seduceseduce → seduced:persuaded to engage in improper behavior
  therefore 'tis meet
  That noble minds keep ever with their likes;
  For who so firm that cannot be seduced?p.33.6
Show context notes Cassius is telling Brutus that honorable people should not mix with dishonorable people who might seduce them into ignoble behavior.

Meet is an archaic synonym of appropriate.
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She was seduced by the temptation of easy money.more
seduce → seduced:persuaded to do something
Show general definition to persuade someone to do something by tempting them with something pleasurable or desired -- often to make them want to participate in sexual activity
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rendergive
Let each man render me his bloody hand:p.107.74 more
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We're waiting for the jury to render a verdict.more
Show general definition for render (as in: rendered service or a verdict) to give or supply something
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render#2make
  O ye gods,
  Render me worthy of this noble wife!p.71.54 more
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Her verbal attack rendered me speechless.more
render → rendered:made
Show general definition for render (as in: rendered her unconscious) to make or cause to become
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redressfix
  What is now amiss
  That Caesar and his Senate must redress?p.95.95 more
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Action must be taken to redress the wrongs of the past.more
fix, compensate, or make up for
Show general definition for redress (as in: redress the problem) fix a problem; or make up for a wrong
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construeunderstand something to have a specific meaning
  But men may construe things after their fashion,
  Clean from the purpose of the things themselves.p.37.22 more
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The executive branch does not construe the provision as requiring it to share additional information with Congress.more
interpret
Show general definition to interpret (understand) something as have a specific meaning
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ingratitudelack of gratefulness
  For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel:
  Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him!
  This was the most unkindest cut of all;
  For when the noble Caesar saw him stab,
  Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,
  Quite vanquished him:p.129.51 more
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Despite their tireless efforts, they were greeted with ingratitude, leaving them disheartened by the lack of appreciation.more
Show general definition lack of gratefulness -- typically inappropriately so
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interinter → interred:buried
  The evil that men do lives after them;
  The good is oft interred with their bones:p.121.8
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She requested interment in a crypt rather than beneath the ground.more
inter → interment:burial
Show general definition for inter (as in: inter at the cemetery) burying a dead body
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misconstruemisconstrue → misconstrued:interpreted in the wrong way
Alas, thou hast misconstrued every thing!p.197.3
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A text message is easy to misconstrue because it is short and lacks the non-verbal cues of a conversation.more
interpret in the wrong way
Show general definition interpret in the wrong way