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archaism

[ ahr-kee-iz-uhm, -key- ]
/ ˈɑr kiˌɪz əm, -keɪ- /
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noun
something archaic, as a word or expression.
the use of what is archaic, as in literature or art: The archaism of the novelist's style provided a sense of the period.
the survival or presence of something from the past: The art of letter writing is becoming an archaism.
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Also ar·cha·i·cism [ahr-key-uh-siz-uhm]. /ɑrˈkeɪ əˌsɪz əm/.

Origin of archaism

1635–45; earlier archaismus<Latin <Greek archaïsmós.See archaize, -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM archaism

ar·cha·ist, nounar·cha·is·tic, adjective

Words nearby archaism

archaezoology, archaic, archaic Homo, archaic Homo sapiens, archaic smile, archaism, archaize, archangel, arch beam, archbishop, archbishopric
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to archaism

antique, antiquity, artifact, curio, evidence, fragment, keepsake, memento, monument, remains, remnant, souvenir, age, ancientness, archaicism, hoariness, venerableness, curiosity, heirloom, memorial

How to use archaism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for archaism

archaism
/ (ˈɑːkɪˌɪzəm, -keɪ-) /
noun
the adoption or imitation of something archaic, such as a word or an artistic or literary style
an archaic word, expression, style, etc

Derived forms of archaism

archaist, nounarchaistic, adjective

Word Origin for archaism

C17: from New Latin archaismus, from Greek arkhaïsmos, from arkhaizein to model one's style upon that of ancient writers; see archaic
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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