Alexander Schmidt, Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary

Womb, subst. the uterus of a female, or what resembles it (particularly applied to the earth as conceiving and producing things): Sonn. 3, 5. 97, 8. Tp. I, 2, 120. Meas. I, 4, 43. Mids. II, 1, 131. Tw. V, 245. Wint. II, 2, 59. John II, 182. III, 1, 44. IV, 3, 128 “(the smallest thread that ever spider twisted from her w.).” V, 2, 152. R2 I, 2, 22. II, 1, 51. II, 2, 10 “(some unborn sorrow, ripe in fortune's w.).” H4A I, 1, 23. H4B V, 4, 15. H6A IV, 5, 35. V, 4, 63. H6C III, 2, 153. IV, 4, 18. R3 I, 3, 231. IV, 1, 54. IV, 4, 47. IV, 4, 47 IV, 4, 47 IV, 4, 47 IV, 4, 47 H8 II, 4, 188. Cor. I, 3, 7. III, 3, 114. V, 3, 124. Tit. IV, 2, 124. Rom. II, 3, 10. Tim. IV, 3, 3. Tim. IV, 3, 3 Tim. IV, 3, 3 Mcb. V, 8, 15. Lr. I, 4, 300. Oth. I, 3, 377 “(there are many events in the w. of time which will be delivered).” Ant. I, 2, 38. III, 13, 163. Cymb. V, 4, 37. Per. I, 1, 107. III, 1, 34. Applied to the brain as conceiving thoughts: Sonn. 86, 4. LLL IV, 2, 71. Metaphorically, any thing hollow that receives or contains sth.: “thy sea within a puddle's w. is hearsed,” Lucr. 657. “a hill whose concave w. reworded a plainful story,” Compl. 1. “the earth . . . whose hollow w. resounds,” Ven. 268. Lucr. 549. H4A III, 1, 31. Hml. I, 1, 137. “gaunt as a grave, whose hollow w. inherits nought but bones,” R2 II, 1, 83. Tit. II, 3, 239. Rom. V, 3, 45. “through the foul w. of night,” H5 IV Chor. H5 IV Chor. “as hasty powder fired doth hurry from the fatal cannon's w.” Rom. V, 1, 65.
Jocularly applied by Falstaff to his belly as more becoming a woman than a man: “an I had but a belly of any indifferency, I were simply the most active fellow in Europe: my w., my w., my w. undoes me,” H4B IV, 3, 25.