ARCHAISM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does archaism mean? 

• ARCHAISM (noun)
  The noun ARCHAISM has 1 sense:

1. the use of an archaic expression

  Familiarity information: ARCHAISM used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ARCHAISM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The use of an archaic expression

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

archaicism; archaism

Hypernyms ("archaism" is a kind of...):

expression; formulation (the style of expressing yourself)

Domain member usage:

leal (faithful and true)

small (slight or limited; especially in degree or intensity or scope)

curtal ((archaic) cut short)

base; baseborn (illegitimate)

corroborant (used of a medicine that is strengthening)

frore (very cold)

acold (of persons; feeling cold)

fervent; fervid ((archaic) extremely hot, burning, or glowing)

backward; feebleminded; half-witted; slow-witted (retarded in intellectual development)

uplifted (exalted emotionally especially with pride)

sublime (lifted up or set high)

amort (utterly cast down)

dowerless (lacking a dowry)

innocent ((used of things) lacking sense or awareness)

verbal (prolix)

proportionable (proportionate)

commodious; convenient (large and roomy ('convenient' is archaic in this sense))

apopemptic (addressed to one who is departing)

verily (in truth; certainly)

by chance; perchance (through chance)

brotherly ((archaic as adverb) in a brotherly manner)

privily (confidentially or in secret)

away; forth; off (from a particular thing or place or position ('forth' is obsolete))

hence (from this place)

empiric; empirical (relying on medical quackery)

scriptural (written or relating to writing)

puissant (powerful)

meretricious (like or relating to a prostitute)

horary (relating to the hours)

strait (narrow)

careful (full of cares or anxiety)

scrivened (copied in handwriting)

heartless (devoid of courage or enthusiasm)

dighted (dressed or adorned (as for battle))

fardel (a burden (figuratively in the form of a bundle))

meed (a fitting reward)

simple (any herbaceous plant having medicinal properties)

caitiff (a cowardly and despicable person)

octoroon (an offspring of a quadroon and a white parent; a person who is one-eighth black)

quadroon (an offspring of a mulatto and a white parent; a person who is one-quarter black)

mulatto (an offspring of a black and a white parent)

the halt ((archaic) lame persons collectively)

alienism (an obsolete term for the study and treatment of mental illness)

bosom (the chest considered as the place where secret thoughts are kept)

muchness (greatness of quantity or measure or extent)

sooth (truth or reality)

complexion ((obsolete) a combination of elements (of dryness and warmth or of the four humors) that was once believed to determine a person's health and temperament)

hornpipe; pibgorn; stockhorn (an ancient (now obsolete) single-reed woodwind; usually made of bone)

hold (a stronghold)

gildhall (the meeting place of a medieval guild)

palfrey (especially a light saddle horse for a woman)

ambages ((archaic) roundabout or mysterious ways of action)

air; fire; earth (once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles))

ether; quintessence (the fifth and highest element after air and earth and fire and water; was believed to be the substance composing all heavenly bodies)

water (once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles))

menstruum ((archaic) a solvent)

control (verify by using a duplicate register for comparison)

crease; crinkle; crisp; ruckle; scrunch; scrunch up; wrinkle (make wrinkles or creases on a smooth surface; make a pressed, folded or wrinkled line in; 'crisp' is archaic)

trust ((chiefly archaic) extend credit to)

compass (bring about; accomplish)

abide; bide; stay (dwell)

adust (burned brown by the sun)

dark-skinned; dusky; swart; swarthy (naturally having skin of a dark color)

thrown; thrown and twisted (twisted together; as of filaments spun into a thread)

brainish; hotheaded; impetuous; impulsive; madcap; tearaway (characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation)

Derivation:

archaise (give an archaic appearance of character to)

archaistic (imitative of an archaic style or manner)

archaize (give an archaic appearance of character to)

Domain member usage:

instancy (the quality of being insistent)

like fun (used ironically to indicate the opposite of what is stated)

Negro; Negroid (a person with African ancestry,)

screw (have sexual intercourse with)