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A fossil word is a word that is broadly obsolete but remains in current use due to its presence within an idiom or phrase. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] An example for a word sense is 'ado' in 'much ado'. An example for a phrase is ' in point ' (relevant), which is retained in the larger phrases ' case in point ' (also 'case on point' in the legal context) and ...
The word is used in compounds such as lych-gate, [1] lych-owl (so called because its screeching was thought to forebode death) and lyke-wake (the watch kept over a dead body at night). The word is etymologically akin to like, so its original meaning is thought to be 'form', 'shape'. [1] (See also: feorhbold, feorhhold, feorhhus, līcfæt ...
Obsolete technology Replacement Still used for Bathing machine: No longer required due to changing social standards of morality Hourglass: Clock: Tasks where a fixed amount of time can be measured with a low-tech solution: Exposure time tracker in saunas (where electronics might be damaged by the heat or ultraviolet light); retro kitchen timers, board games, other short-term timers.
Generally, words coming from French often retain a higher register than words of Old English origin, and they are considered by some to be more posh, elaborate, sophisticated, or pretentious. However, there are exceptions: weep , groom and stone (from Old English) occupy a slightly higher register than cry , brush and rock (from French).
This is a list of English words inherited and derived directly from the Old English stage of the language. This list also includes neologisms formed from Old English roots and/or particles in later forms of English, and words borrowed into other languages (e.g. French, Anglo-French, etc.) then borrowed back into English (e.g. bateau, chiffon, gourmet, nordic, etc.).
A dialectal word can become part of the standard language in a compound, but not in its root form: e.g. blatherskite ("one who talks nonsense"), as Scots has the word skite ("contemptible person"). A word can become obsolete in its root form but remain current in a compound: e.g. lukewarm from Middle English luke ("tepid").
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The word archaism is from the Ancient Greek: ἀρχαϊκός, archaïkós, 'old-fashioned, antiquated', ultimately ἀρχαῖος, archaîos, 'from the beginning, ancient'. A distinction between archaic and obsolete words and word senses is widely used by dictionaries.