Alexander Schmidt, Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary

Great, 1) large in size or dimensions: “the g. globe,” Tp. IV, 153. “the --er hides the less,” Gent. III, 1, 372. “g. chamber,” Wiv. I, 1, 157 and Rom. I, 5, 14. “a g. round beard,” Wiv. I, 4, 20. “g. ragged horns,” IV, 4, 31. “your bum is the --est thing about you, so that in the beastliest sense you are Pompey the G.” Meas. II, 1, 228. “the g. wart on my left arm,” Err. III, 2, 148. “g. pails,” V, 173. “in such g. letters,” Ado I, 1, 267. “a word too g. for any mouth,” As III, 2, 239. “her g. P's,” Tw. II, 5, 97. “the fellow with the g. belly,” H4B I, 2, 165. “give me the spare men, and spare me the g. ones,” III, 2, 289; cf. V, 3, 92 and V, 5, 85. “a g. pin,” H6B IV, 10, 32. “g. anchors,” R3 I, 4, 26. “g. weeds do grow apace,” II, 4, 13. “you g. fellow,” H8 V, 4, 91. “--er hulks draw deep,” Troil. II, 3, 277. “the g. toe,” Cor. I, 1, 159; cf. H4B I, 2, 274. “g. bellies,” Tim. I, 1, 210 etc. etc. “g. Italy,” Shr. I, 1, 4. “g. Dunsinane,” Mcb. V, 2, 12. “g. Media,” Ant. III, 6, 14 (Media magna). “g. with child,” Meas. II, 1, 91 (== pregnant). “go g. with tigers,” Tim. IV, 3, 188. “I am g. with woe, and shall deliver weeping,” Per. V, 1, 107. Used of the heart swelling with emotion: “my mind hath been as big, my heart as g.” Shr. V, 2, 171. “if my heart were g., 'twould burst at this,” All's IV, 3, 366 (quibbling). “my heart is g., but it must break with silence,” R2 II, 1, 228. “the heart, g. and puffed up with this retinue, doth any deed of courage,” H4B IV, 3, 121. “a thousand hearts are g. within my bosom,” R3 V, 3, 347. “thou hast made my heart too g. for what contains it,” Cor. V, 6, 104.
2) long continued: “a g. time after,” Tp. III, 3, 105. “a youth of --er time,” Gent. II, 7, 48 (i. e. older). “a g. while,” Tw. V, 414. H4B II, 2, 24 etc.
3) of a high degree, of a considerable number or quantity, high, mighty, considerable, copious: “g. comfort,” Tp. I, 1, 30. “a falsehood as g. as my trust,” I, 2, 95. “g. loss,” II, 1, 123. “hope” II, 1, 123 “she as far surpasseth Sycorax as --est does least,” III, 2, 111. “their g. guilt,” III, 3, 104. “indignation,” IV, 200. “worth,” Gent. I, 2, 44. “impeachment,” I, 3, 15. “a g. fighter,” Wiv. II, 3, 44; cf. “a g. quarreller,” Tw. I, 3, 31; a g. eater of beef, 90; “our --est friends,” Cor. I, 1, 249; “--er friends,” Ant. II, 5, 48; “no g. good lover of the archbishop's,” H8 IV, 1, 104 etc. “a g. deal of heart-break,” Wiv. V, 3, 11. “so g. a fever,” Meas. III, 2, 235. “by g. injunctions,” IV, 3, 100. “small cheer and g. welcome,” Err. III, 1, 26. “a g. thaw,” Ado II, 1, 251. “as g. a soil,” III, 2, 5. “I yield upon g. persuasion,” V, 4, 95. “too g. testimony,” As IV, 3, 171. “a g. way fool,” All's I, 1, 112. three g. oaths, IV, I, 64. “g. pains,” Tw. I, 5, 185. “of g. estate,” Tw. I, 5, 185 “number,” III, 3, 29. “for a --er confirmation,” Wint. II, 1, 180. “gives but the --er feeling to the worse,” R2 I, 3, 301. “with as g. aim,” H4B III, 2, 285. “to raise so g. a siege,” H5 III, 3, 47. “g. truth,” Troil. IV, 4, 106. “the --est taste most palates theirs,” Cor. III, 1, 103. “bring forth the parties of suspicion. I am the --est,” Rom. V, 3, 223 (in the highest degree suspicious). “this g. clatter,” Mcb. V, 7, 21. “your g. judgment,” Cymb. I, 6, 174 etc. etc. “these g. tears,” All's I, 1, 91 (== copious?); cf. “when g. leaves fall, the winter is at hand,” R3 II, 3, 33. it is g. morning (== broad day) Troil. IV, 3, 1. Cymb. IV, 2, 61. “g. in our hope,” All's III, 3, 2 (== in great hope); cf. “g. in fortune,” III, 7, 14. “g. in knowledge,” II, 5, 9. “the --est of my pride is to see my ewes graze,” As III, 2, 80 (== my --est pride). “my father's skill, which was the --est of his profession,” All's I, 3, 249 (beyond which his profession could not extend). “the --est of your having lacks a half to pay your debts,” Tim. II, 2, 153.
4) of high rank or power: my g. mind most kingly drinks it (flattery) “up,” Sonn. 114, 10. “thy no --er father,” Tp. I, 2, 21. “his g. person,” Tp. I, 2, 21 “all hail, g. master,” Tp. I, 2, 21 “g. Juno,” IV, 102. “fit for g. employment,” Gent. V, 4, 157. “of g. admittance,” Wiv. II, 2, 235 (admittance to persons of rank). “too g. of birth,” III, 4, 4. “g. ones” Meas. II, 2, 59. Tw. I, 2, 33. Oth. III, 3, 273. “of a g. kindred, well allied,” Meas. III, 2, 108. “one of the --est men in this realm,” H4B V, 3, 92. “shall make you g.” V, 5, 85. “this becomes the g.” H5 III, 5, 55. “by g. preservation we live to tell it you,” R3 III, 5, 36 (== by high, divine p.). “g. tyranny, lay thou thy basis sure,” Mcb. IV, 3, 32. “g. command o'ersways the order,” Hml. V, 1, 251 (viz the king's command). “their g. stars,” Lr. III, 1, 22. “their --er pleasures,” V, 3, 2 etc. etc. “the g. Cham,” Ado II, 1, 277. “G. Master of France,” H5 IV, 8, 100.
5) of extraordinary qualities, eminent, magnanimous: “Frederick the g. soldier,” Meas. III, 1, 217. “no --er heart in thee?” As II, 6, 4; cf. Alls IV, 3, 366. “with a g. heart heave away the storm,” John V, 2, 55. “he bears too g. a mind,” Caes. V, 1, 113. “others fish with craft for g. opinion,” Troil. IV, 4, 105. “rightly to be g. is not to stir without g. argument,” Hml. IV, 4, 53. “too short of that g. property,” Ant. I, 1, 58. “there's a g. spirit gone,” I, 2, 126. “our g. designs,” II, 2, 151. “that g. face of war,” III, 13, 4. “it is g. to do that thing,” V, 2, 4 etc. etc. “Alexander the G.” H5 IV, 7, 15. “Antiochus the G.” H5 IV, 7, 15. “Charles the G.” H5 I, 2, 46. “Pompey the G.” Meas. II, 1, 230. LLL V, 1, 136. H5 IV, 1, 70. Ant. I, 2, 195.
6) principal, chief, called so by way of eminence: “the g. care of goods,” Err. I, 1, 43. “the g. flood,” Caes. I, 2, 152 (the deluge). “the g. seal,” H8 III, 2, 229. H8 III, 2, 229 H8 III, 2, 229 “let the g. axe fall,” Hml. IV, 5, 218. “Imogen, the g. part of my comfort,” Cymb. IV, 3, 5.
7) Adverbially used: “'tis g. like he will,” H6B III, 1, 379.