Archaic Words
These words are no longer in everyday use but are sometimes used to impart an old-fashioned flavour to historical novels, for example, or in standard conversation or writing just for a humorous effect. Some, such as hotchpotch, reveal the origin of their current meaning, while others reveal the origin of a different modern word, as with gentle, the sense of which is preserved in gentleman. Some, such as learn and let, now mean the opposite of their former use.
A
| abroad |
out of doors |
| advertisement |
a notice to readers in a book |
| ague |
malaria or a similar illness |
| aliment |
food; nourishment |
| animalcule |
a microscopic animal |
| apothecary |
a person who prepared and sold medicine |
| asunder |
apart |
| audition |
the power of hearing |
| aught |
anything at all |
| avaunt |
go away |
B
| bane |
poison |
| bedlam |
an asylum |
| behold |
see or observe |
| behoof |
benefit or advantage |
| beldam |
an old woman |
| betimes |
in good time; early |
| bibliopole |
a dealer in books |
| billow |
a large sea wave |
| blow |
produce flowers or be in flower |
| bodkin |
a dagger |
| bootless |
(of a task) ineffectual; useless |
| breech |
a person’s buttocks |
| bridewell |
a prison or reform school for petty offenders brimstone sulphur |
| brui |
t a report or rumour |
| buck |
a fashionable and daring young man |
| bumper |
a generous glass of an alcoholic drink |
| burgess |
a full citizen of a town or borough |
| buss |
a kiss |
C
| caboose |
a kitchen on a ship’s deck |
| cadet |
a younger son or daughter |
| caducity |
the infirmity of old age; senility |
| camelopard |
a giraffe |
| carl |
a man of low birth |
| ceil |
line or plaster the roof of (a building) |
| champaign |
open level countryside |
| chapman |
a pedlar |
| circumjacent |
surrounding |
| cicisbe |
o a married woman’s male companion or lover |
| cispontin |
e on the north side of the Thames in London |
| clerk |
a literate or scholarly person |
| clew |
a ball of thread |
| clout |
a piece of cloth or clothing |
| collogue |
talk confidentially |
| commend |
entrust someone or something to |
| commons |
provisions shared in common; rations |
| communicant |
a person who imparts information |
| compass |
encircle or surround |
| con |
study attentively or learn by heart (a piece of writing) |
| condition |
social position |
| conjure |
implore (someone) to do something |
| contemn |
treat or regard with contempt |
| contumely |
insolent or insulting language or treatment |
| cordwainer |
a shoemaker (still used in the names of guilds) |
| corrup |
t rotten or putrid |
| cottier |
a rural labourer living in a cottage |
| coxcomb |
a vain and conceited man; a dandy |
| coz crankumcousin |
|
| crinkum-crankum |
elaborate decoration or detail |
| crookback |
a person with a hunchback |
| crumpet |
a person’s head |
| cruse |
an earthenware pot or jar |
| cully |
a friendly form of address for a man |
| cutpurse |
a pickpocket |
D
| dame |
an elderly or mature woman |
| damsel |
a young unmarried woman |
| dandiprat |
a young or insignificant person |
| darbies |
handcuffs |
| dark |
ignorant |
| degrade |
reduce to a lower rank, especially as a punishment |
| degree |
social or official rank |
| delate |
report (an offence) |
| demoralize |
corrupt the morals of |
| dight |
clothed or equipped |
| discover |
divulge (a secret) |
| dispraise |
censure or criticize |
| divers |
of varying types; several |
| doit |
a very small amount of money |
| dot |
a dowry from which only the interest or annual income was available to the husband |
| doxy |
a lover or mistress |
| drab |
a slovenly woman |
| drought |
thirst |
E
| egad |
exclamation of surprise, anger, or affirmation |
| embarrass |
hamper or impede |
| embouchure |
the mouth of a river |
| ere |
before (in time) |
| espousal |
a marriage or engagement |
| estate |
a particular state, period, or condition in life |
| expectations |
one’s prospects of inheritance |
| expiry |
death |
F
| fain |
pleased or willing under the circumstances |
| fainéant |
an idle or ineffective person |
| fair |
beautiful |
| fandangle |
a useless or purely ornamental thing |
| fare |
travel |
| fervent |
hot or glowing |
| fie |
exclamation used to express disgust or outrage |
| filibeg |
a kilt |
| fishwife |
a woman who sells fish |
| fizgig |
a silly or flirtatious young woman |
| flux |
diarrhoea or dysentery |
| forfend |
avert or prevent (something evil or unpleasant) |
| forsooth |
indeed |
| fourscore |
eighty |
| freak |
a whim |
| frore |
frozen or frosty |
| froward |
(of a person) difficult to deal with; contrary |
| fruit |
offspring |
| fudge |
nonsense |
| furbish |
polish (a weapon) |
G
| gadzooks |
an expression of surprise or annoyance |
| gage |
a valued object deposited as a guarantee |
| gallant |
a dashing gentleman |
| gammer |
an old woman |
| garland |
a literary anthology |
| garth |
a yard or garden |
| gentle |
noble or courteous |
| go-cart |
a baby walker |
| God’s acre |
a churchyard |
| goodly |
attractive, excellent, or virtuous |
| goody |
(with a name) an elderly woman of humble position |
| grateful |
received with gratitude |
| grimalkin |
a cat |
| gudgeon |
a credulous person |
| gyve |
a fetter or shackle |
H
| habiliment |
clothing |
| halt |
lame |
| handmaid |
a female servant |
| hearken |
listen |
| hence |
from here |
| herbary |
a herb garden |
| hereat |
as a result of this |
| hereunto |
to this document |
| hereupon |
after or as a result of this |
| hie |
go quickly |
| hight |
named |
| hither |
to or towards this place |
| horse-coper |
a person who deals in horses |
| horseless |
a car carriage |
| host |
an army |
| hotchpotch |
a mutton stew with mixed vegetables |
| howbeit |
nevertheless |
| husbandman |
a farmer |
I
| imminent |
overhanging |
| indite |
write; compose |
| inscribe |
enter the name of (someone) on a list |
| intelligence |
news |
| intelligencer |
a person who gathers intelligence |
| invest |
surround (a place) in order to besiege or blockade it |
| iron |
horse a steam railway locomotive |
| izzard |
the letter Z |
J
| jade |
a bad-tempered or disreputable woman |
| jakes |
an outdoor toilet |
| job |
turn a public office or a position of trust to private advantage |
K
| kickshaw |
a fancy but insubstantial cooked dish |
| kine |
cows collectively |
| king’s shilling, take the |
enlist in the army |
| knave |
a dishonest or unscrupulous man |
L
| larcener |
thief |
| latchet |
a narrow thong or lace for fastening a shoe or sandal |
| laud |
praise |
| laver |
a basin or similar container used for washing oneself |
| learn |
teach |
| leech |
a doctor or healer |
| leman |
a lover or sweetheart |
| let |
hinder |
| levant |
abscond leaving unpaid debts |
| Levant |
the eastern part of the Mediterranean |
| levy |
a body of enlisted troops |
| lief |
as happily; as gladly |
| lordling |
a minor lord |
| love apple |
a tomato |
| Lucifer |
a match |
| lurdan |
an idle or incompetent person |
| lying-in |
seclusion before and after childbirth |
M
| magdalen |
a reformed prostitute |
| mage |
a magician or learned person |
| maid |
a girl or young woman |
| malapert |
presumptuous and impudent |
| malison |
a curse |
| man-at-arms |
a soldier |
| marry |
an expression of surprise, indignation, or emphatic assertion |
| mayhap |
perhaps; possibly |
| measure |
a dance |
| meat |
food of any kind |
| mechanical |
a manual worker |
| meet |
suitable or proper |
| methinks |
it seems to me |
| mooncalf |
a foolish person |
| morrow, the |
the following day |
| mummer |
an actor in the theatre |
N
| natural |
a person born with impaired intelligence |
| naught |
nothing |
| nay |
no |
| neat |
a bovine animal or animals |
| nice |
fastidious |
| nigh |
near |
| nithing |
a contemptible or despicable person |
| noise (something) about |
talk about or make known publicly |
| nubbing-cheat |
a gallows |
| numbles |
a deer’s entrails as food |
O
| orison |
a prayer |
| orts |
scraps; remains |
| otherwhere |
elsewhere |
| overleap |
jump over or across |
P
| pale |
an area within determined bounds or subject to a particular jurisdiction |
| palfrey |
a docile riding horse |
| pate |
a person’s head |
| peeler |
a police officer |
| pelf |
money, especially when gained dishonestly |
| peradventure |
perhaps |
| perchance |
by some chance |
| peregrinate |
travel or wander from place to place |
| pest |
bubonic plague |
| pestilence |
a fatal epidemic disease, especially bubonic plague |
| peterman |
a thief or safebreaker |
| physic |
medicinal drugs or medical treatment |
| piepowder |
a traveller or an itinerant merchant or trader |
| pismire |
an ant |
| pistoleer |
a soldier armed with a pistol |
| plight |
solemnly pledge or promise (faith or loyalty) |
| pollard |
an animal that has lost its horns or cast its antlers |
| poltroon |
an utter coward |
| popinjay |
a parrot |
| portage |
the action of carrying or transporting |
| portion |
a dowry |
| portion |
a person’s destiny or lot |
| posy |
a short motto or line of verse inscribed inside a ring |
| pouncet-box |
a small box with a perforated lid used for holding a substance impregnated with perfume |
| prithee |
please |
| profess |
teach (a subject) as a professor |
| progress |
a state journey or official tour |
| purfle |
an ornamental or embroidered edge of a garment |
| pythoness |
a woman believed to be possessed by a spirit and to be able to foresee the future |
Q
| quality |
high social standing |
| quean |
an impudent girl or woman |
| quick, the |
the living |
| quidnunc |
an inquisitive, gossipy person |
| quiz |
look intently at (someone) |
| quoth |
said (in I/he/she quoth) |
R
| rack |
(of a cloud) be driven by the wind |
| raiment |
clothing |
| rapscallion |
a mischievous person |
| rathe-ripe |
(of fruit) ripening early in the year; (of a person) precocious |
| receipt |
a recipe |
| recipe |
a medical prescription |
| recompense |
punish or reward appropriately |
| recreant |
cowardly |
| rede |
advice or counsel |
| reduce |
besiege and capture (a town or fortress) |
| relieve |
make (something) stand out |
| repair |
an abode or haunt |
| repulsive |
lacking friendliness or sympathy |
| riband |
a ribbon |
| rover |
a pirate |
| rude |
ignorant and uneducated |
| ruth |
a feeling of pity, distress, or grief |
S
| sacring |
the consecration of a bishop, a sovereign, or the Eucharistic elements |
| saddle-bow |
the pommel of a saddle |
| salamander |
a red-hot iron or poker |
| sanative |
healing |
| sanguinary |
involving or causing much bloodshed |
| sap |
make (a building etc.) insecure by removing its foundations |
| saturnism |
lead poisoning |
| scantling |
a specimen, sample, or small amount |
| scapegrace |
a mischievous person; a rascal |
| scaramouch |
a boastful but cowardly person |
| science |
knowledge |
| sciolist |
a person who pretends to be knowledgeable |
| scold |
a woman who nags or grumbles constantly |
| scot |
a tax-like payment |
| scurvy |
worthless or contemptible |
| sea coal |
mineral coal |
| seizing |
a length of cord or rope on board a ship |
| sennight |
a week |
| shambles |
a slaughterhouse |
| shrive |
(of a priest) absolve (a person making a confession) |
| silly |
helpless; defenceless |
| sippet |
a small piece of bread or toast for dipping into soup or sauce |
| skirt |
an edge, border, or extreme part |
| slay |
kill in a violent way |
| slipshod |
(of shoes) worn down at the heel |
| slugabed |
a lazy person who stays in bed late |
| small beer |
weak beer |
| smite |
defeat or conquer |
| soak |
drink heavily |
| soft tack |
bread, especially as rations for sailors or soldiers |
| soil |
a stain |
| sooth |
truth |
| sore |
extremely; severely |
| speed |
success; prosperity |
| spence |
a larder |
| statuary |
a sculptor |
| steed |
a horse |
| stripe |
a blow with a lash |
| strumpet |
a female prostitute or a promiscuous woman |
| success |
a good or bad outcome |
| sugarplum |
a small round boiled sweet |
| surety, of/for a |
for certain |
| swain |
a country youth |
| swash |
flamboyantly swagger about or wield a sword |
| sweeting |
darling |
| sweetmeat |
an item of confectionery or sweet food |
T
| tantivy |
a rapid gallop or ride |
| tapster |
a person who serves at a bar |
| tenter |
a person in charge of something, especially factory machinery |
| thenceforth |
from that time, place, or point onward |
| thereunto |
to that |
| therewith |
with or in the thing mentioned |
| thither |
to or towards that place |
| thrice |
three times |
| tilt |
with engage in a contest with |
| timbrel |
a tambourine or similar instrument |
| ’tis |
it is |
| tithe |
a tenth |
| tocsin |
an alarm bell or signal |
| tope |
drink to excess |
| top-sawyer |
a distinguished person |
| trespass |
a sin or offence |
| trig |
neat and smart |
| trigon |
a triangle |
| troth |
faith or loyalty when pledged in a solemn undertaking |
| turnkey |
a jailer |
| ’tween |
between |
| tweeny |
a maid who assisted both the cook and the housemaid |
U
| uncle |
a pawnbroker |
| uncommon |
remarkably |
| unhand |
release from one’s grasp |
| up to snuff |
up to the require standard |
| usher |
an assistant teacher |
V
| varlet |
an unprincipled rogue |
| venery |
hunting |
| verily |
truly; certainly |
| verse |
a line of poetry |
| very |
real; genuine |
| visionary |
existing only in the imagination |
W
| wain |
a wagon or cart |
| wait on/upon |
pay a respectful visit to |
| waits |
street singers of Christmas carols |
| wast |
second person singular past of be |
| watch |
remain awake as religious observance |
| watchful |
wakeful |
| watchword |
a military password |
| weasand |
the oesophagus or gullet |
| wench |
a girl or young woman |
| whence |
from what place or source |
| whereat |
at which |
| wherefore |
for what reason |
| wherewith |
with or by which |
| whilom |
formerly |
| white goods |
domestic linen |
| whither |
to what place or state |
| wife |
a woman, especially an old or uneducated one |
| wight |
a person of a specified kind |
| wise |
manner, way, or extent |
| withal |
in addition |
| without |
outside |
| wondrous |
wonderfully |
| wont |
accustomed |
| wonted |
usual |
| wool-stapler |
a dealer in wool |
| wright |
a maker or builder |
Y
| yclept |
by the name of |
| ye |
you |
| yea |
yes |
| yoke |
the amount of land that one pair of oxen could plough in a day |
| yonder |
over there |
Z
| zounds |
an expression of surprise or indignation |