A-Z of Shakespeare – O

 

Today’s Shakespearean word of the day is… oeillade

O - oeillade

Pronounced ‘ill-yad’, an oeillade is an amorous glance.

In King Lear, Regan says Goneril ‘gave strange oeilliads’ to Edmund (King Lear, 4.5.25).

Listen to the pronunciation of oeillade here

 

Shakespeare Dictionary _130This definition is taken from the Oxford Illustrated Shakespeare Dictionary, a unique dictionary to unlock the mysteries of Shakespeare’s world, words and language, compiled by renowned English language expert David Crystal and Shakespearean actor and producer Ben Crystal.