Archaic or obsolete vocabulary and grammar.
Questions tagged [archaicisms]
298 questions
42
votes
5 answers
In 1700s, why was 'books that never read' grammatical?
Naomi Baron, in Words Onscreen: The Fate of Reading in a Digital World (1 edn 2015). p. 16, quoted Daniel Defoe's The Compleat English Gentleman, composed in the early 1700s:
I hate any thing that looks like a cheat upon the world. Whatever I am,…
user50720
2
votes
1 answer
When was "in the which" correct English grammatical usage?
In the King James Version of the Old Testament, the phrase in the which is used in Genesis 1:29, 42:38, 19:29, 45:6 and Numbers 6:5. It is also used in the New Testament: Luke 19:30, 23:29, John 4:53, 5:28, Acts 17:31, 26:16, Colossians 3:7, and…
Tom Johnson
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1
vote
1 answer
what does the sentence "all is not the moon surrounded by stars" mean?
I saw this sentence when watching Leonardo (2021). It sounds archaic and I'm confused. I've seen sentences like "all that glistens is not gold" and "all is not lost", but this one is nothing like those right?
nick king
- 11
1
vote
1 answer
A-roving, a-walking, a-verb participle: what is this called?
Is there a name for the archaic form of a-verb participle, as in a-walking?
It appears in poetry and songs, for example,
As I was a-walking down Paradise Street...
Time is the stream I go a-fishing in.
1
vote
1 answer
Meaning of "make trim of"
In the Life of Flavius Josephus, as translated by Whiston in the 18th century, Josephus says:
Moreover, when I was a child, and about fourteen years of age, I was
commended by all for the love I had to learning; on which account the
high priests…
user16723
1
vote
3 answers
Should 'dotard' be considered archaic?
I don't think I've ever heard or seen it used by anyone except N. Korea.
MWB
- 1,386
1
vote
1 answer
Is the use of "affect" to mean take on or assume archaic?
Recently came across the usage of "affect" in the context of assuming an appearance. Here is an example Google gives:
an American who had affected a British accent
How would this usage come across in modern prose, i.e., might it come across as…
Vithtuz
- 21
0
votes
0 answers
Did all cats used to be feminine?
I have always believed --- from somewhere --- that in archaic English, cats were always referred to using feminine pronouns, regardless of what sex they actually were. But I thought to go and find a reference for it and I can't find anything.
Was…
David Given
- 199
0
votes
1 answer
What does this (likely archaic) usage of "down" mean?
In one of a series of letters widely believed to be written by the serial killer Jack the Ripper (commonly referred to as the "Dear Boss" letter) the author makes use of the following phrase:
... I am down on whores and I shant quit ripping them…
jmcph4
- 121
0
votes
3 answers
What did "simples" mean in the 1800s?
This is from Mark Twain's "The Innocents Abroad":
They flocked to our poor human doctor this morning when the fame of what he had done to the sick child went abroad in the land, and they worshiped him with their eyes while they did not know as yet…
0
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0 answers
Definition of "as to own"?
Prepping for the GED RLA test, I came across this sentence (from Excerpt from A Defense of the Constitution of Government of the USA by John Adams):
If we should extend our candor so far as to own
My attempts to find the meaning of own in this…
Shimmy Weitzhandler
- 3,087
0
votes
0 answers
"And" meaning "if" or "as long as"
Can anyone confirm that there is an archaic use of the word "and" meaning "if" or "as long as"? For example:
"Yes you can, and you do no harm."
If you can confirm, please point me to a resource that describes the usage. Thanks.
PeterB
- 1
0
votes
2 answers
Is "quoteth" equivalent to "quoth"?
Could any given usage of "quoth" be replaced by "quoteth" (and vice versa)? Is quoteth simply its archaic form, or is there a difference?
Keith
- 123
0
votes
2 answers
Whereof, wherein, wherefrom, whereupon, whereby, wherewith, wherefore in a contemporary article?
I am publishing an article (research) and I am wondering whether theses words, albeit far more beautiful than their equivalent using which, can still be employed even though the OED described them as archaic. I use whereof and wherein the most. The…
