archaism
Americannoun
-
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.
noun
-
the adoption or imitation of something archaic, such as a word or an artistic or literary style
-
an archaic word, expression, style, etc
Other Word Forms
- archaist noun
- archaistic adjective
Etymology
Origin of archaism
1635–45; earlier archaismus < Latin < Greek archaïsmós. See archaize, -ism
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.