List of archaic English words and their modern equivalents

The following is a list of words and spellings which are now considered archaic or obsolescent for one reason or another within the current conception of the English language. Given both the rapidity of change in modern English and the number of versions espoused by various nations and cultures, it should be strongly borne in mind that dates are approximate and intimations of obsolescence may be localised.

It should further be noted that obsolescence is a relative term, and that English language as it has evolved over the years is characterised by four phases, the edges of which are rather more blurred than perhaps the nomenclature would suggest. The first period dates from approximately 450 to 1150 AD. At this time the language made use of full inflection, and is called Anglo-Saxon, or, more terminologically correctly (since many of the speakers of the syncretic tongue e.g. the Danes, the assimilated Celts were not Anglo-Saxon), Old English. The second period dates from about 1150 to 1350 and is called Early English or sometimes Old English (again). During this time the majority of the inflections disappeared, and many French words joined the language because of the profound influence of the Norman French ruling class. The third period dates from about 1350 to 1550, and is known as Middle English. At this time the shape of the language began to coalesce and a relatively standard orthography emerged. The last period, from about 1550, is called Modern English.

The impact of dictionaries should not be underestimated in respect of the definition of obsolescent or archaic forms. The standardisation of spelling caused many variant forms to be consigned to the dustbin of history.

It should be noted that often poets and/or writers of prose with a very strong feel for the language may on occasion deliberately choose to employ or otherwise make use of archaisms to emphasise a certain point or to heighten a mood.

Often what we conceive of as archaisms are often very modern forms indeed in relative terms!

Archaisms in the English language

Original word	Origin	Meaning	Example	Approx. Date of obsolescence	Comments
bilbo	From Bilbao the best known place of manufacture	an obscure and seldom used word for a short sword	N/A	unknown	Bilbo Baggins is a fictional character
bobbish	unknown	to be in good health	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s
Bouncable	unknown	a swaggering boaster	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s
Bridewell	unknown	a prison	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s
cag-mag	unknown	decaying meat	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s
chalk scores	unknown	a reference to accounts of debt, recorded with chalk marks	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s
coddleshell	unknown	codicil; a modification to one's legal will	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s
Coiner	unknown	a counterfeiter	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s
cove	unknown	a fellow or chap	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s
drab	unknown	a whore	N/A	unknown	Used in Shakespeare's Macbeth: "Finger of birth-strangled babe, ditch-delivered by a drab."
dream	A part of the root stock of the OE vocabulary.	joy	N/A	before the 13th century	Under the influence of Old Norse speakers in England, the phoneme dream changed its meaning from ``joy, festivity, noisy merriment" to ``a sleeping vision".
fire a rick	unknown	to burn a stack of hay (rick), as a form of protest	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s
fluey	unknown	dusty	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s
gaole	unknown	gaol alt. British English spelling of jail	N/A	mid-19th century
Grinder	unknown	a tutor who prepares students for examinations	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s
heddes	unknown	heads	N/A	c. 1650s
Indya	unknown	India	N/A	c. 1860	This spelling is still (occasionally) in use today.
ivory tablets	unknown	paper for notetaking	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s
kyne	unknown	old plural of 'cow'	N/A	unknown	Used until late 1800s
over the broomstick	unknown	to be married in a folk ceremony and not recognized by the law	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s, "over the brush" still used in British English Cf jumping the broomstick
quantum	unknown	money to pay a bill	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s. Still used in this sense in some legal terminology.
Quene	OE. cwen (meaning a queen, a woman or a wife)	Queen	N/A	c. 1650s
rantipole	unknown	to behave in a romping or rude manner	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s
read with	unknown	to tutor	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s
shake-down	unknown	a bed	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s, also a modern slang term dealing with law enforcement
stand high	unknown	to have a good reputation	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s
whitesmith	unknown	a tinsmith	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s
whitlow	unknown	a sore or swelling in a finger or thumb	N/A	unknown	Used in 1860s, still used in British English
wittles	from "victuals"	food	N/A	?	Used in 1860s, vittles still used in British English
zounds	unknown	expletive	N/A	?	abbreviation for "god's wounds"