archaic (adj.)

1810, from or by influence of French archaique (1776), ultimately from Greek arkhaikos "old-fashioned," from arkhaios "ancient, old-fashioned, antiquated, primitive," from arkhē "beginning, origin," verbal noun of arkhein "to be the first," hence "to begin" and "to rule" (see archon). Not merely crude, the archaic has "a rudeness and imperfection implying the promise of future advance" [Century Dictionary]. Archaical is attested from 1799.

also from 1810

Entries linking to archaic

archon (n.)

one of the nine chief magistrates of ancient Athens, 1650s, from Greek arkhon "ruler, commander, chief, captain," noun use of present participle of arkhein "be the first," thence "to begin, begin from or with, make preparation for;" also "to rule, lead the way, govern, rule over, be leader of," a word of uncertain origin.

archaism (n.)

1640s, "retention of what is old and obsolete," from Modern Latin archaismus, from Greek arkhaismos, from arkhaizein "to copy the ancients" (in language, etc.); see archaic. Meaning "that which is archaic," especially "an archaic word or expression," is by 1748.

archaistic (adj.)

"affectedly archaic," 1847; see archaic + -istic. Related: Archaist (n.), 1851.

Trends of archaic

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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primitive

late 14c., primitif, "of an original cause; of a thing from which something is derived; not secondary" (a sense now associated with primary), from Old French primitif "very first, original" (14c.) and directly from Latin primitivus "first or earliest of its kind," from primitus "

antediluvian

"before Noah's flood," 1640s, from Latin ante "before" (from PIE root *ant- "front, forehead," with derivatives meaning "in front of, before") + diluvium "a flood" (see deluge (n.)). Hence (humorously or disparagingly) "very antiquated" (1726). Coined by English physician Sir Tho

antiquated

1620s, past-participle adjective from verb antiquate "make old or obsolete" (1590s), from Latin antiquatus, past participle of antiquare "restore to its ancient condition," in Late Latin "make old," from antiquus "ancient, of olden times; aged, venerable; old-fashioned" (see anti

meticulous

The old word seems to have become archaic after c. 1700, fossilized in a passage of Sir Thomas Browne, though it turns up...Meticulous appears 1852 in Halliwell's "Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words" (with the definition "timorous") and...It is marked archaic in the Imperial Dictionary (1883), which has only the sense "timid," but not so marked in Century Dictionary...

seed

Figurative sense of "offspring, progeny, posterity," now rare or archaic except in biblical use, was in Old English; the...The meaning "semen, male fecundating fluid," also now archaic or biblical, is from c. 1300....

leman

"sweetheart, paramour, loved one" (archaic), c. 1200, lemman, "loved one of the opposite sex; paramour, lover; wife;" also...Originally of either gender, though in deliberate archaic usage it tends to be limited to women....

mage

An "archaic" word by late 19c. (OED), revived by fantasy games....

bias

1520s, "oblique or diagonal line," from French biais "a slant, a slope, an oblique," also figuratively, "an expedient, means" (13c., originally in Old French a past-participle adjective, "sideways, askance, against the grain"), a word of unknown origin. Probably it came to French

Eucharist

"sacrament of the Lord's Supper, the Communion," mid-14c., from Old French eucariste, from Late Latin eucharistia, from Greek eukharistia "thanksgiving, gratitude," later "the Lord's Supper," from eukharistos "grateful," from eu "well" (see eu-) + stem of kharizesthai "show favor

odd

c. 1300, odde, "constituting a unit in excess of an even number," from Old Norse oddi "third or additional number," as in odda-maðr "third man, odd man (who gives the casting vote)," odda-tala "odd number." The literal meaning of Old Norse oddi is "point of land, angle" (related

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updated on January 30, 2019

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Dictionary entries near archaic

archaeoastronomy

archaeological

archaeologist

archaeology

archaeopteryx

archaic

archaism

archaistic

archangel

archangelic

archbishop