Today’s Shakespearean Word of the Day is… exsufflicate

Exsufflicate is an adjective which means exaggerated or blown up out of all proportion.

Othello says he would never listen to ‘exsufflicate and blown surmises’ (Othello, 3.3.184)- ie. exaggerated theories.

Listen to the pronunciation of exsufflicate here

This definition is taken from the Oxford Illustrated Shakespeare Dictionary, a unique dictionary compiled by renowned English language expert David Crystal and Shakespearean actor and producer Ben Crystal to unlock the mysteries of Shakespeare’s world, words and language.