archaic
UK /ɑːˈkeɪ.ɪk/ · US /ɑɹˈkeɪ.ɪk/ noun, adjective
Also a form of manna
Forms archaics archaick archaeic archæic
- noun (archaeology, US, usually capitalized) The prehistoric period intermediate between the earliest period (‘Paleo-Indian’, ‘Paleo-American’, ‘American‐paleolithic’, etc.) of human presence in the Western Hemisphere, and the most recent prehistoric period (‘Woodland’, etc.).
- noun (paleoanthropology) (A member of) an archaic variety of Homo sapiens.
- adjective Of or characterized by antiquity; old-fashioned, quaint, antiquated.
- adjective (chiefly lexicography, of words) No longer in ordinary use, though still used occasionally to give a sense of antiquity and still likely to be understood by well-educated speakers and are found in historical texts.
- adjective (archaeology) Belonging to the archaic period.
Synonyms
dated obsolete old fashioned antediluvian antiquated primitive
Etymology
From archaism (“ancient or obsolete phrase or expression”) or from French archaïque, ultimately from Ancient Greek ἀρχαϊκός (arkhaïkós, “old-fashioned”), from ἀρχαῖος (arkhaîos, “from the beginning, antiquated, ancient, old”), from ἀρχή (arkhḗ, “beginning, origin”), from ἄρχω (árkhō, “to be first”), from ἄρχω (árkhō, “to begin”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ergʰ- (“to begin, rule, command”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Of or characterized by antiquity or archaism; antiquated; obsolescent.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “archaic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details