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The meanings of words undergo changes, a process that can be illustrated by the fact that \"silly\" used to mean \"holy\" and \"quick\" meant \"alive.\" Most of the words in Shakespeare\'s plays still exist today but some meanings have changed. The change may be small, as in the case of \"pert,\" which meant \"quick to act,\" as in
Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth
(I, i, 13)
or more fundamental, so that \"gossip\" (II, i, 47) meant \"old woman\" (possibly a relative), \"saddest\" (II, i, 51) meant \"most serious,\" \"waxen\" (II, i, 56) meant \"increase,\" \"weed\" (II, i, 256) meant \"garment, clothes,\" and \"favours\" (IV, i, 48) meant \"flowers given as a token of love.\"
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