aberginians
natives of the New World

abracadabra
used as a noun (by 1565)

abraide at
upbraid

accessory
used in the sense of "in crime"

accused
"the accused" in use by 1590

actor
a relatively new term, in use by 1585. The word actress did not become prevalent until 1600. Player was the more common term for an actor throughout the century

aftertime
in the future

aged
an aged person would be anyone between 45 and 56

algorism figures
arabic numerals

almonry
the office of the almoner, one who distributes alms

amazon
a woman warrior

anatomy
a skeleton

Andalusian
highly prized golden dun color horse; Spanish horse

androgyne
noun used to mean a monster (by1588)

anodyne
pain killer

antiquary
antiquarian (noun)

apillion
to ride perched sideways on a special seat attached to the back of a saddle

armariola
slant-topped desk

arras
a tapestry made in Arras, France; or any wall hanging

ashlar
a squared block of building stone; masonry of such stones

Assizes
the periodic sessions of visiting royal judges riding a circuit to hear cases

atlas
term first used in 1575 by Mercator

aumbry
cabinet with drawers behind doors

banquet
between meal snack by 1530

banqueting house
a separate structure used, not for banquets, but for what we'd call dessert; often of fanciful design or in an unusual location, such as up in a tree

banns
an announcement of an intended marriage

barleycorn
unit of distance: 3 barleycorns=1 inch

bawd
madam or prostitute

bawdy court
any church court, because these courts spent much of their time hearing cases of immoral behavior

beldam
hag, grandmother

betimes
in good time

bibble-babble
noun; meant blather by 1570

birthday
people were aware of them but did not throw parties; in fact, people did not always know their own ages

birthplace
this word may not jave beem in use before 1600

blackmail
tribute for protection (by 1552) NOTE: the noun "blackmailer" was NOT yet in use

bladders
any of various distensible membranous sacs found in an animal, filled with water for one of the cures at Buxton

blue stocking
although WIlliam Brohaugh's book says this term was in use only "by 1800", Violet Wilson in Queen Elizabeth's Maid's of Honor cites the founding of a society in Venice whose members wore blue stockings as the source of the word. That was in 1500. By 1558 the term was common in England and meant "a learned lady." A letter dated December 29, 1558 from the Spanish Ambassador refers to Mildred Cecil as a "tiresome blue stocking" (Caldendar Spanish State Papers 3)

bonnet
a generic term for the French hood; low, flat men's hats were also called bonnets

bottel
A bottel of old hay weighed about 28 lbs.

bottel-horse
used to transport hay & forage (measured by the bottel or bale)

brainsick
crazy

brand-new
in us as an adjective by 1570

branle
also called bransle and brawl, this was a dance with easy steps in which many people could participate at once

bravo
used to mean a thug for hire by 1600

breakfast
used as a noun by 1465

breakneck
used as an adjective by 1565

bride
could refer to either the man or the woman getting married

bridesmaid
in use by 1555

Bristol crystals
transparent rock crystal (colorless quartz) found in Clifton limestone near Bristol (at Worle); aka Bristol diamonds, Bristol stone, Bristowes, Cornish diamonds (found at Hengeston Hill, Cornwall), Irish diamonds

Bristol milk
sherry (Xeres sack) [NOTE: the OED says this term was not used until 1644]

brokle
easily broken; fragile

brothel
in use by 1595

bugloss
also called oxtongue; yields a red dye; in the 16th century it was believed its leaves and flowers were good for a cough, that its juice drunk with warm water helped swollen feet, and that mixed with wine it strengthened the heart; roots of the variety called lange de boeuf were bound to varicose veins to relieve pain; also used in pottage with strawberry leaves, violets, and marigolds and added to oatmeal; added "for good measure" to many remedies but in fact has no healing properties on its own

bullet
in use by 1560

bum
used to mean a cad by 1570

bumpkin
used as an insult by 1570

buss
used to mean a kiss by 1570

buttermarket
marketplace where butter is sold

buttery
larder

buttonhole
used as a noun by 1565

by-blow
bastard

byname
nickname

cancer
type of sore (by 1000)

cant
used to mean thieves' cant–by early 16th

cap-a-pie
head-to-toe

capcase
a small bag used to carry personal belongings; overnight case

castle in the air
in use by 1580

cater-cousin
intimate friend

cat's-eye
type of gem

certes
of course; certainly (but not to be substituted for certain)

chafed
heated (used in this sense by Thomas Elyot)

chemical
in use as an adjective by 1580

chewits
pies made with minced meat

chorography
antiquarian study based on geographical surveys

chorus
in use by 1565

church ale
a feast held to raise money for the local church, usually on a saint's day

cinquepace
galliard, a dance characterized by rapid steps

cipher
code–used as noun and verb by 1530

cittern
similar to a lute but easier to play

civet
perfume made from a gland of the civet cat; very popular in the 16th century

civilite
used to mean polish by Thomas Elyot

claisshe
also called closh; any game with a ball or bowl

clandestine
used as an adjective by 1570

clergyman
in use by 1580

clink
slang for jail

close stool
chamber pot, often contained in an elaborate box with a padded seat and a lid

closet
a small private room for devotions or study

clothes press
a moveable clothes chest

clue
used to mean "guide" by 1390 and in the modern sense by 1600

coach
word in use by 1560

cock-a-hoop
triumphantly boastful

cockcrow
dawn

cockhorse
rocking horse

codpiece
a fabric pouch at the front of a man's hose, attached by points; for much of the sixteenth century it was padded, decorated, and sometimes doubled as a pocket

comfit
sweet containing a nut or seed, preserved with sugar

codynock
codinac (quince marmalade)

collyrium
a salve, ointment, liquid, or semi-liquid medicinal remedy particular for the eyes; often made with egg white

concubine
could mean either a man's lover or a woman's lover

copesmate
lover; comrade

cordwainer
shoemaker

corn
any cereal grain (but maize had not yet been introduced to England)

couple
have sex

courser
racehorse (usually not raced until 7 or 8 years old)

coz
used to mean cousin by 1560

crackbrain
crackpot

cracknel
light, crisp biscuit

crowner
coroner (medieval name, still in use in rural areas in 16th)

crownation
coronation

crystalomancy
the study of crystals and mirrors to read the future

cue
used to mean starting signal by 1555

cumphett
comfit (sweetmeat preserved in sugar)

cup-shotten
intoxicated

Curtal
commonest name for a docked horse

customer
customs officer

daliance
talk, chat (Elyot)

dame
woman's title

dapper
adj. by 1440

dapple grey
in horses, thought suitable for miliatry purposes; color bleached out to pure white in late maturity

dazzle
v.=confound

deambulations
walkings about (Elyot)

depend
hang (Elyot)

descrived
written about (Elyot)

desk
noun in use by 1365; used to mean "bookcase" by 1570

detect
=reveal, by 1425; =discover, by 1585

diary
as in "keeping a diary" by 1585; the book itself by 1605

dinner
the midday meal

discipline
learning (Elyot)

disciplines
kinds of learning; sciences (Elyot)

Dissolution, the
the closing of the monasteries by Henry VIII

doctrine
teaching (Elyot)

documents
matter of teaching (Elyot)

doddypoll
deadhead

dormitory
sleeping room or rooms

dorter
dormitory–could consist of one large room or individual cells

double-backed gelding
horse with the broad back essential for sidesaddle of the period

dove
term of endearment

dowsabel
sweetheart by 1585

doxy
loose woman

drab
prostitute

drachm
equal to 6 obols (in COINS); in apothecary weights=1/8 oz or 60 grains or a dram

draggle-tail
slut, by 1600

dragon water
a popular medicine of the age; used by Nick Baldwin as an oath

dram
weight of 60 grains (equal to a drachm)

drumble
slothful person, by 1570

dump
a slow, mournful dance

durst
dared

dutchman
radical in religious matters (slang)

easy-going
laterally pacing horse with a smooth action

eavesdropper
by 1450 but eavesdrop (v.) only by 1610

ekename
nickname; OED says out of use by 1400s; I use it anyway

electuary
1 oz. powder mixed with 3 oz. honey

ell
equal to one yard and nine inches; distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger (37-45")

elope
general meaning of escape by 1600

embezzle
=steal, by 1425 to 1700s; modern meaning, by 1600

embrasure
opening in a wall for a window; often a recessed area large enough to provide privacy for conversation or romance

erelong
adv., before long; in use by 1580

evangelist
=preacher by 1570

extract
juice distilled from a plant

fall
=autumn by 1570

false alarm
by 1580

fathom
=understand, by 1625; as measurement=7 feet

ferntickle
skin blemish

fetor
stench

feverfew
herb taken for chest complaints, fevers, and colds; believed to cleanse the kidneys and cheer the heart when taken in wine (for over-indulgent eaters); its seeds drove out worms; drunk with wine it could make a woman fruitful; a tincture of feverfew applied locally relived pain and swelling of insect and vermin bites; stamped and laid to a wound in which there were broken bones, it brought the broken bones together and healed them

ffydd y Saeson
the English religion (reformed)

figure-flinger
astrologer (used in a 1601 book by John Chamber)

fish days
Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 1563+

flawn
Custard/cheesecake/pancake–depends on region

fleece
rob

foolscap
type of paper not in use until 1700

foot
as measurement (see also furlong, mile, fathom)
12" to a foot; 3' to a yard; 7' in a fathom; Roman foot=16 fingerbreadths; five feet=a pace

footcloth
a saddle-cloth that hung down behind the stirrups (behind the planchette on a side-saddle) to stop mud splashing up against the rider's leg

forespeaker
advocate who appears in court with a client and speaks on his behalf during a lawsuit

forfend
forbid

forgery
fakery, by 1575; counterfeiting, by 1595 (verb by 1325)

fosterling
foster child

fox-in-the-hole, tick, and all-hid
three children's games

French hood
a small bonnet made on a stiff frame and worn far back on the head; folds of material fell below the shoulders from a short flat panel at the back; usually dark in color but decorated with biliments (borders of silk, satin, or velvet trimmed with gold or jewels), it was worn over a crespin or creppin (a fine linen cap)

furlong
125 paces; 8 furlongs=one mile

gadfly
=gadabout, by 1595

galliard
a fast, spirited dance also called the cinquepace; sometimes courtiers laid aside their rapiers and cloaks and danced the galliard in doublet and hose

garderobe
a lavatory; often cut into an overhang in the wall of a building so that waste fell to the ground below

gavotte
a French peasant dance that was also a kissing game

gennet
a Spanish horse (Andalusian); considered the ideal horse

gentlefolk
by 1595

gentler sex
by 1585

geographer
on the Continent was also usually a map seller, instrument maker and employment agent for land and sea pilots

gill
¼ pint

gimmal
a ring made of two interlocking parts

girdle
a woman's belt; most women attached purses, keys, fans, and other small items to their girdles for ease in carrying them

glass
mirror; eyeglass (as telescope–not in use until after 1600)

Glastonbury chair
a wooden chair with a folding seat, richly decorated on the arms and back; the legs formed an x at each side

going to Paul's
summoned to church courts in Long Chapel at St. Paul's

good day
good-even, good-morrow, and good morning were also in use, BUT NOT good evening or good afternoon

goodman, goodwife
used instead of Mr. and Mrs. to address members of the middle class

good-mother
mother-in-law or stepmother (used by early 16th)

good-sister
sister-in-law (mostly in Scotland?)

good-son
son-in-law

goody
by 1560, for goodwife (possibly used as an insult)

gossip
originally a godparent; by 1560s used for a tattletale

gowk
idiot

gramercy
thank you (from the French grand merci); in use by 1350 to mean thanks; meant "mercy me" after 1600

granddaughter
not in use until after 1600? (grandson in use by 1590)

grandsire
not in use until 19th century

grass widow
unmarried woman who has enjoyed the fruits of marriage

graybeard
old man

Grimalkin
used as a cat's name, 1561

groat
a devalued coin (twopence under Elizabeth)

hammock
by 1555

handsome
adj.=attractive by 1590; before that meant handy

hangment
execution by hanging

happy
adj. ("happy accident")

hard-of-hearing
by 1565

harpy
general use as insult

heartsease
also known as herb trinity, among other names, this herb was used in the 16th century to treat epilepsy, asthma, and diseases of the heart, and for scaldhead (a skin disease, possibly ringworm)

herbal
in use as a type of book by 1520

herbalist
by 1590

herboristes
herbalists (1578)

hermaphrodita
monster, half woman, half man (1583–Stubbes)

hero
NOTE: heroine not in use until 17th century

hick
insult by 1565 (noun)

hobbler boats
used to tow larger boats in and out of rock-bound harbors

hobies
hawks

Hochelaga
the area of the St. Lawrence and New York

honest
chaste; noble (Elyot)

honey
term of endearment

horn-mad
by 1580

horse-lock
a thief-proof hobble not unlike handcuffs (3s 4d/set in 1595)

horsemanship
by 1565

horse-marshal
vet

hostile
by 1580

hotspur
hothead

howbeit
conjunction–although

hugger-mugger
n.=secrecy

humdrum
by 1555

humour
one of the four fluids of the body (blood, phlegm, choler, and black bile); a man's humour (sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, or melancholic) played an important role in treating ailments; physicians diagnosed the balance of the humours by examining the patient's urine

hurlyburly
shortened to hurly by 1595

ill-gotten
adj. by 1555

impugn
attack

inamorato
male lover by 1595

infrigidation
cooling (also infrigidate, by 1570)

infusion
not in use until after 1600? made when hot water is poured over part of a plant, then cooled

in-law
brother-in-law, sister-in-law, etc. were in use but not the term "in-laws"

inquisition
and Spanish Inquisition by 1505

intelligence gatherer
my preferred term for what Robert does

intelligencer
spy (coined by Lilly with the sense of free-lance spy)

Italianated
poisoned (1572+)

itinerant
adj., by 1570; noun used by 1570

jackanapes
term of derision

jade
useless horse by 1390; gemstone by 1595

jerk
=quick motion, twitch; also means stupid person (by 1575}

Jerusalem pony
donkey or ass

jointure
the portion of a new husband's estate that was settled on his bride as an endowment for possible widowhood

jolt-head
dolt

jostle
have sex with

journal
bookkeeping record

kenned
known (Elyot)

kiddlywink
inn (Cornish slang)

King's English
by 1535

king's ransom
by 1590

kirtle
a woman's skirt, and sometimes the skirt and bodice together (what we'd call a dress); the Elizabethan "gown" was more like a coat and was worn over the kirtle

kitten, kit
applied to cats and other animals

knock-down price
price charged by a knacker for a horse

knot garden
garden consisting of closed flower beds outlined with low, close-growing plants like hyssop and germander and arranged to form elaborate designs; the open spaces in the patterns might contain daffodils, primroses, or hyacinths

La Florida
Spanish term for entire east coast of America

land evil
sickness that left people "enfeebled of" their "perfect mind"

lask (a lask)
diarrhoea

laudanum
by 1570

lettered
self-educated

lie with
have sex

light-headed
frivolous; dizzy

light-o'-love
lover; whore (by 1580)

lightsome
elegant; also lighthearted (by 1570)

lodgement
by 1600=lodging; also lodger (obs. tent-dweller)

lodgings
could be one room or several; in a tenement, house, or inn

Lord's day
Sunday

lumine
illuminate

lump
as in "a cancerous lump" by 1450

lynx-eyed
sharpsighted

machine
something built

make a leg
bow

maligned at
slandered; defamed (Elyot)

malkin
cat (by 1586); also slattern; hare; NOT used for witch until 17th century

mama
in use by 1555 (but grandmama not used until 1770)

manchet bread
the highest quality white wheat bread

mappemonde
world map (I've used alt. spelling mappa mundi in earlier books)

marchpane
a dessert made with blanched almonds and sugar

mast
The fruit of the oak, beech, etc; acorns or nuts serving as food for animals

mate
spouse by 1570

May Queen
honorary title granted at some May Day festivities

menial
servant; also used as adj.

merrybegot
bastard

messuage
a dwelling house, outbuildings, and the enclosed land surrounding them

middle age
age 25-45

mile
8 furlongs; regarded as 5000' before 1575; in 1575 set at 5280'

minion
lover by 1500; also servant by 1530

mole
skin spot (freckle also in use)

morphew
skin blemish

mouse
term of endearment

mummy
ingredient in medicine

mystery
secret, puzzle

name-day gift
given on day of saint for whom person was named

Narrow Seas
English Channel

nay
no

New Religion
term used for Protestantism after Henry VIII split with Rome

New World
term in use by 1555 for what is now North and South America

nightmare
spectre bringing bad sleep (not used as bad dream)

night rail
a garment in which some wealthy women slept by the mid-sixteenth century; sleeping in the nude or in a shift, shirt, or smock was more common

nightwalker
prostitute (London)

noon, noontide, noontime
originally nine hours after daybreak? From nones?

Norombega
the New England area

of course
some sources say this was in use by 1545; others put it later and suggest substituting certes, verily, 'tis true, or most like

old age
age 56 to death

(an) old body
anyone 50 or over

outland men
overseas traders

palfrey
pacing, ambling, easy-going saddle-horse

pantofles
cork-soled skuffs worn to raise the wearer's feet out of the mud

paramour
lover

partisan
=fanatic, by 1555

partlet
a garment used to fill the space between the bodice and ruff or collar; bodices, skirts, collars, even sleeves, were separate items of dress fastened together by points

passage
hallway

passport
travel document by 1570; clearance to leave port by 1500

pavane
a stately, processional dance

Paynims
heathen (Elyot)

peascods
peapods

Pedlar's French
term for cant (poss. thieves cant) by 1580

pen
writing instrument; female swan

pentices
hinged wooded shop fronts on which goods offered for sale

perfay
'tis true (interjection)

pet
favorite (type of animal by 1600; as in "pet cat" by 1600)

petticoat
type of skirt, by 1425

pettifogger
adj. by 1580 (?); elsewhere used to mean lawyer

pharmacopole
vendor of medicines (Turner)

physic garden
herb garden (physic meant medicine)

piebald
by 1590 (pied, by 1350); in horses–black and white

pinch
=steal, by 1600

plenteous
plentiful

points
laces used to fasten clothing

poltroon
wretch, coward

popinjay
vain person (by 1530)

portolan
type of chart used by early sailing ships–mapped coastline (OED says word not used until 19th century–that is clearly inaccurate)

Post House
inn (1/town) displaying a post-horn as well as an inn sign

posset
a soothing drink, usually heated and flavored with herbs

pottle
½ gallon

precognition
used to mean ESP by 1450

presentment
a formal statement laid before a person in authority on a matter requiring legal consideration and judgment

privy, common
a latrine or outhouse

Privy Council
the queen's advisory board

puritan
n. (used as adj. by 1590); puritanism by 1575; a term used by 1565 by their critics to refer to those who wanted a purer church than the Church of England; they called themselves the godly, or professors, or the elect

quack
not in use until after 1600? Quack's Charter earlier than that

quat
a purulent pimple

quote
verb use by 1585 (ie. quote a source)

racket
=noise, by 1565

roan
ind. white hairs mingled with darker ones throughout the coat

rogue
vagrant, by 1565; rascal by 1600

roister
verb use by 1585; noun=carouser, by 1555

romance
noun–by 1300; heroic narrative; romantic NOT in use; noun meaning fabrication by 1500

ruminate
ponder

runagate, renagade
vagabond

rundlet (of wine)
18 gallons and a pottle (½ gallon)

rushdips
a type of candle with a rush wick in tallow; also called a rushlight or a rush candle

rustical
boorish (Elyot)

sackbut
trombone

sad
serious

safeguard
a heavy overskirt worn when riding to protect the good clothes beneath

saltpetre
potassium nitrate

sand-blind
partially sighted

sapience
wisdom (Elyot)

sarcenet
a fine, soft silk

saye
a finely woven woolen cloth

scandalize
publicize a scandal; not "offend" until 17th century

scandalous
by 1600

scene
n. by 1540; as in "scene of the crime" by 1600

science
knowledge (Elyot)

scribe
writer; copyist

sea wrack
seaweed

seasick
adj. in use by 1570; seasickness by 1625

single
solitary; unmarried

skewbald
brown, bay, or chestnut and white coat

skoser
a horse dealer (Elyot)

snoskyn
a muff made of cloth or fur; smaller models hung suspended from a woman's girdle (belt)

solar
private upstairs room usually used by ladies of the household

spatterdashes
=boothose; worn in lieu of boots

spaw
spa

spectacles
glasses

spoonful
measurement=1 drachma (dram) plus six grains

spree
hopped wort (in brewing)

squeech
a wet, boggy place

stallion
used for a promiscuous man by 1350; not commonly used for horses in the 16th century although it was in use before and after

standish
ink and pen stand

staple
necessary item–not in use until after 1600? (Staplers)

staple, merchants of the
those who traded in wool, particularly in Calais before 1555; a stapler was any trader who bought wool from the grower and sold to the manufacturer

steward
the most important servant in a household; he was responsible for all the other servants as well as for provisioning the estate and selling what it produced

stillroom
a room or building used for distilling medicines and perfumes

stoned horse
stallion

stiony
small troublesome inflamed pimple at the edge of the eyelid (sty)

straightlaced
=formal by 1555

strain
as in muscle strain, by 1570; verb used not until 17th century

strumpet
prostitute

study
type of room–by 1350

sucket
succade (preserved fruit)

suicide
not in use until after 1600?; legal term was self-murder (by 1565)

suitor
by 1600; "follower" by 1450

sultry
in reference to weather only, not people

summat
something–not used in Kent

supper
the evening meal

sweetheart, sweeting
loved one

swing
die by hanging

swive
have sex with

sybarite
hedonist by 1555

tables, game of
backgammon

tablet
writing tool; pill

tailclout or clout
diaper

tapnet
basket of rushes in which figs were imported

tarantism
not in use until after 1600?

tartar
=irritable person, by 1600

tenement
property, residence building

tension
bodily tension only; not mental

termagant
shrew; bully

terms
by 1570-1700s=menstruation

theater
noun meaning a specific building in use by 1375

thumber
osteopath (source: letter from Lord Burghley)

tilt boat
a large boat covered by a tilt (canopy) and carrying as many as twenty-five passengers

tiltyard
the area where tournaments were held

tincture
alcoholic solution with a tinge of color

tiring maid
a maidservant assigned to help her mistress with her attire

tisike
phthisis; consumption (Elyot)

to-do
commotion; event, by 1570

tommy-knockers
mythical creatures–Cornwall; associated with mines

to-name
nickname

toothsome
appealing, attractivee, by 1555

touchstone
salt peter? Used to saturate paper to make tinder?

trencher
platter of wood, metal, or earthenware

troll-my-dames
a game played indoors with leather balls on a trolling bench

trow
believe, think

trull
whore

tryst
meeting; dalliance

tuggle
jerk around

tumble
fall; make fall; have sex with–by 1605

tup
fornicate with

turtledove
term of endearment by 1570

twelvemonth
year

twit
an insult by 1530; tease

ugsome
vile (also uglesome by 1570)

underbucks
tubs used to catch liquid (used in laundry and brewing)

underworld
term "Elizabethan underworld" not coined until 1930

union
sexual union

valentine
n. meaning sweetheart

varlet
meant scoundrel by 1570

Venice turpentine
larch turpentine

verge
the twelve-mile radius around whatever house the monarch currently occupied

vernal
adj. for of the spring

very
as in "this very place"; true or real, ie. "My very son Esau" (Elyot)

verile
lusty; able to father children

vestures
clothes; garments (Elyot)

virago
mean woman

virginals
keyboard instrument similar to a harpsichord, it was placed on a table or stood on legs; "a pair of virginals" referred to only one instrument

visage
appearance; a face (Elyot)

vitriol
oil of vitriol=concentrated sulphuric acid

vixen
used as insult by 1590

vouched
called to witness

vulgarly
commonly

wadwife
pawnbroker or moneylender (in wad=pawned)

waif
not in use until after 1600?

waiting gentlewoman
an upper servant who was usually a of gentle birth herself

waits
professional musicians

wallet
type of pouch

warden or wardon
baking pear

wardship
rights held by the monarchy over land that was once held from the Crown by feudal military service; when such lands were inherited by a minor, the monarch took custody of both the land and the heir; those who bought wardships from the Crown gained the profits from the land during the heir's minority and the right to arrange the heir's marriage

washhouse
=laundry by 1580

watch
By 1590 (obs. "alarm clock" by 1440-1500s)

week
a week from now (as in "Tuesday week")

wench
maid

wet-nurse
not in use until after 1600? position did exist before that

well-favored
attractive

Welsh
the British tongue

wherry
a small boat with cushions for seats that carried two to five passengers

whippet (dog)
found in Harrison's Description of England (1587)

white-livered
lily-livered

whitebeard
old man

widdershins
adv.=contrary

wild-goose chase
by 1595

withdrawing room
by 1595

wobble
by 1560 (verb)

woman of the world
by 1580

wordmonger
by 1590 (wordsmith much later)

word of mouth
by 1555

wortes
herbs; pot herbs

writer
by 1535

writing desk
not in use until after 1600? I use writing table

wroth
wrathful

Xeres sack
sherry

yard
penis

yokefellow
companion

yorning
the cry of animals

youth
someone ages 14-25

zelatours
zealous supporters (Elyot)

alack
begad (by 1600)
eureka (by 1570)
faugh
goodbye (by 1575)
hallelujah
hallo (by 1570–hello, by 1885)
hey
ho ho (by 1570)
humph (by 1570)
indeed (truly?, by 1600)
la (by 1600)
lo
marry
oh
pardie (by God)
pish (by 1595)
please (please go away)
pooh (by 1600)
presto (by 1600)
'sblood (by 1600)
'snails (God's nails–by 1600)
well met (by 1590)
welladay (by 1570)
why
woe
yo
zounds (by 1600)

listed by William Brouhaugh (English Through the Ages) as 1600-1650, but may have been in use earlier:
avast
congratulations
damnation
fiddlesticks
gardyloo
hocus-pocus
huh
hush (hust, by 1470)
phew
'sdeath (God's death)
wow
zooks

miscellaneous contractions (in use by date given):

I'll–1570
we'll–1580
she'll; you'll–1595
's for is, has, does–1585
'twas, 'twere–1590
'm for am (I'm)–1595
're (they're, you're)–1595

not in use until after 1600: we'd, you'd, they'll, they've, it's, don't, who'd, couldn't

NOTE: I avoid it's, don't, and couldn't but use the others

not in use until after 1650: can't, won't, I'd, shan't, ma'am, they'd, you've

NOTE: I've used I'd, they'd, and you've

miscellaneous:

I avoid overuse of -ly ending (use sure for surely)
grievous sick, indifferent cold, wondrous strange, passing (surpassingly) fair were typical of the times

capitalize Crown
use lower case letters for queen, court, and (in direct address) madam, my lady, and mistress

before vowels or h use mine for my, thine for thy

more language guidelines, this time according to Jeffrey L. Singman's Daily Life in Elizabethan England (information from Brohaugh in parenthesis)

superiors are addressed by title and surname
inferiors are addressed by Christian names
(Mr. used by 1450 but Mrs. not until 1615)
"sir" or "madam" is used to address anyone of higher station (knight or higher) or for the master or mistress by servants and by anyone to a gentleman or gentlewoman
inferiors may be addressed as "man" "fellow" "woman" or "sirrah"
close friends may be called "friend", "cousin," or "coz"

avoid completely–these terms were not in use in the mid-16th century

hello
subs. good day, good morrow, good den (God ye good den), God save you, How now, [name], welcome

it's
subs. 'tis

don't
subs. I know not; do not

doesn't
subs. does not

thank you
subs. I thank you, my thanks, God reward you; see "gramercy" in wordslist

© 2006 Kathy Lynn Emerson. All rights reserved.
Last updated 10/29/06