archaism

[ ahr-kee-iz-uhm, -key- ]

noun

1. something archaic, as a word or expression.
2. the use of what is archaic, as in literature or art:

   The archaism of the novelist's style provided a sense of the period.

3. the survival or presence of something from the past:

   The art of letter writing is becoming an archaism.

archaism

/ ˈɑːkɪˌɪzəm; -keɪ- /

noun

1. the adoption or imitation of something archaic, such as a word or an artistic or literary style
2. an archaic word, expression, style, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈarchaist, noun
• ˌarchaˈistic, adjective

Other Words From

• archa·ist noun
• archa·istic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of archaism¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of archaism¹

C17: from New Latin archaismus, from Greek arkhaïsmos, from arkhaizein to model one's style upon that of ancient writers; see archaic

Example Sentences

Wagner boss Prigozhin, whose rift with the defence establishment has become more public in the past week, called Sobolev's comments "absurd" and "archaisms from the 1960s".

From Reuters

In my extensive travels across Russia in recent years, I have met many young people who are tired of the archaism and autocracy of the Putin era.

From Washington Post

So why do we still read him, and why do so many people still flock to his plays, despite their archaisms lichened with footnotes and, to citizens of our ironic century, his easily parodied apostrophizing?

From Washington Post

For his part Mr. Hopkins has employed the conscious archaism of a folk art style to furnish the quotidian world of a culture mostly erased by the Civil War.

From New York Times

In fact, on reflection, the collection proved to be subdued and refined, both stately and traditional in its references to archaisms like tailcoats and brocades.

From New York Times

Related Words

• antique
• antiquity
• artifact
• curio
• evidence
• fragment
• keepsake
• memento
• monument
• remains
• remnant
• souvenir