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archaism

Pronunciation: /ˈɑːkeɪɪz(ə)m/

Definition of archaism

noun

  • a thing that is very old or old-fashioned, especially an archaic word or style of language or art:conscious archaisms inspired by French harpsichord music
  • [mass noun] the use or conscious imitation of archaic styles or features in language or art: Mozart’s use of archaism

Derivatives

archaistic

Pronunciation: /-ˈɪstɪk/

adjective

Origin:

mid 17th century: from modern Latin archaismus, from Greek arkhaismos, from arkhaizein 'imitate archaic styles', from arkhaios 'ancient', from arkhē 'beginning'

archaism in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of archaism in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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