You searched for: “archaism”
archaism (s) (noun), archaisms (pl)
An outdated word or expression that is not generally used any more: An archaism is mainly used in literary writing, like in the plays by William Shakespeare.

Examples of archaisms are "thou", "methinks", "museums", "hark", "hither", "howbeit", and "doth".

This entry is located in the following units: archaeo-, archeo-, archae-, arche-, archa-, archi-, -arch (page 3) -ism, -ismus (page 7)
obsolete, obsolescent, anachronism, archaic, archaism
obsolete (ahb" suh LEET, AHB suh leet") (adjective)
Unfashionable, no longer current or effective: The use of a horse-drawn carriage for everyday travel is obsolete.
obsolescent (ahb" suh LES uhnt) (adjective)
Regarding something which is no longer useful or fashionable: Gas lights in houses are now obsolescent and dangerous.
anachronism (uh NAK ruh niz'uhm) (noun)
1. Something or someone that is chronologically out of place with the rest of a context: Knights in armor are an anachronism in today's sporting events.
2. The representation of someone or something as existing or happening in a completely different period of time than it should: The novel has one anachronism after the other.
archaic (ahr KAY ik) (adjective)
Characterizing something which belongs to a former or earlier time: There are some archaic expressions used in the book that are charming.
archaism (AHR kee iz" uhm, AHR kay iz" uhm) (noun)
A thing that is old-fashioned or is no longer used: Wearing a bloomer as an article of clothing is an archaism which belongs in history books.

It is an obsolete notion to wear a bustle which has become obsolescent for daily wear. It is somewhat of an anachronism, like wearing lace mitts to the opera because lace mitts are archaic, something my great grandmother wore; however, now they are just considered an archaism best left for the manikin in the museum.

This entry is located in the following unit: Confusing Words Clarified: Group O; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, Polysemes, etc. + (page 1)