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Glite Dictionary
archaicism

archaicism

9.9
The use of old words or expressions on purpose in writing and speech
  • noun
  • /ˌɑːrkəˈɪsɪzəm/
  • Literature
translation icon : arcaicismo
  • The poet's frequent archaicism gives the poem a sense of antiquity.

Examples

  • His use of archaicism made the legal document difficult to understand.

  • Intentionally adding an archaicism can sometimes enhance the tone of historical fiction.

  • Many writers use archaicism to evoke a historical feel.

  • Shakespeare's plays are rich in archaicisms that reflect his time.

  • The author used an archaicism in her poem to evoke a sense of nostalgia for the past.

  • Many speeches contain an archaicism to give them a formal or traditional tone.

  • In his writing, he often employs archaicisms to reflect an older style of language.

Synonyms

archaism
vsarchaicism
  • Literature
1 9.9

An old-fashioned word, phrase, or style no longer used in everyday speech

is about deliberate or adopted use often in writing or speech

How Archaic

archaicism
  • Literature
9.9

Surface Forms

archaicism singular
archaicisms plural

Morphology

archaicism = archaic (transparent) = archaic + ism

A straightforward nominalization: 'archaic' (old-fashioned) + '-ism' denotes the practice or use of archaic forms, so the meaning is directly derived.

Etymology

Archaicism comes from the Greek root archaios, which means 'old', and you can see the same root in archaic and archaeology, both about old things. So, an archaicism is the use of an 'old' word or style in writing or speech, often chosen to make language feel like the past.