Dictionary of Old-fashioned Words: Vocabulary Building

Manik Joshi

Oct 2014 · English Word Power Book 8 · Manik Joshi

About this ebook

What are “Old-fashioned Words”?

 

Definition of ‘Old-fashioned words’:

“Words and expressions that were common in the past but are passing out of ordinary use.”

 

‘Old-fashioned words’ are also known as ‘archaic words’. Many people use the term ‘old use’ for the words and expressions that were common in the past but have passed out of ordinary use.

These words are mainly used in historical novels. They are also used to amuse people.

 

Examples:

Old-fashioned word:

dandified [adjective]

(of a man) too careful about his look or clothes

 

Old-fashioned word:

vamoose [verb]

to leave fast

 

Old-fashioned idiom

blot your copybook -- to do something bad to spoil your good reputation among people

 

Old-fashioned phrasal verb

buck up! -- used to tell somebody to make haste

 

 

A detailed list of “old-fashioned words”, parts of speech they belong to, and their meanings are as follows:

 

 

Old-fashioned Words -- A

 

abed [adverb]

in bed

 

abide [verb]

to stay or live in a place

Use in a sentence: Everybody must abide by the law.

 

abroad [adverb]

outside; outdoors

 

accidence [noun]

the part of grammar that deals with the change in the form of a word

 

accursed [adjective]

having a bad magic spell on something

Use in a sentence: They lived in the forest as if accursed. || There is no escaping the sense of anxiety that we humans are accursed with.

 

adieu [exclamation]

goodbye

Use in a sentence: They bid adieu to him with mixed emotions.

 

addled [adjective]

confused / (of an egg) not fresh

Use in a sentence: He is not a silly and addled dude.

 

without further/more ado [idiom]

at once; immediately

Use in a sentence: Once it was sure that the area had been secured, the children were without more ado accompanied to the assembly hall.

 

adventurer / adventuress [noun]

a person who is very fond of going to unusual places or gaining new experiences

Use in a sentence: She is a hard-core adventuress, a travel journalist, who has traveled around the world.

 

aerodrome (airdrome) [noun]

a small airport

Use in a sentence: The extension of the runway was aimed at better services for private operators at the aerodrome.

 

affair [noun]

a strange or inexplicable thing

 

affright [verb]

to scare; to frighten

Use in a sentence: Let nothing affright you.

 

ague [noun]

malaria, dengue or other diseases that cause fever and shivering

 

ail [verb]

to make somebody ill/sick

 

air hostess [noun]

a female flight attendant

 

alack [exclamation]

a word that is used to show you are sad or sorry

Use in a sentence: Alas and alack, only a few of those stories are all that funny.

 

alas [exclamation]

a word that is used to show you are sad or sorry

Use in a sentence: His experiments, alas, were flawed and had been mythologized.

 

be all up (with somebody) [idiom]

to be the end for somebody

 

almoner [noun]

a person employed by a hospital to handle financial and social problems of patients

Use in a sentence: They wanted a more active almoner, who could find innovative ways to help the poor.

 

alms [noun]

money, clothes, food, etc. given to beggars or poor people

Use in a sentence: They were injured in a stampede to receive alms being distributed by a charity.

 

in the altogether [idiom]

without wearing any clothes

 

Amerindian [noun]

Native American

Use in a sentence: The word 'guava' originates from the language of the Arawaks, an Amerindian people from the Caribbean.

 

ammo [noun]

ammunition

Use in a sentence: They have tested and run a lot of ammo through their rifles.

 

amour [noun]

a secret love affair

 

anon [adverb]

soon; early, immediately; in a moment

 

apoplexy [noun]

the sudden and complete loss of the ability to sense or move

apoplectic [adjective]

related to apoplexy

 

apparel [noun]

formal clothes

Use in a sentence: The US apparel industry is highly fragmented with many players.

 

applesauce [noun]

nonsense

Use in a sentence: All politics is applesauce!

 

apprehend [verb]

to understand, realize or be aware of something

Use in a sentence: Making language easy to apprehend is intrinsic to making it appealing.

 

apricity [noun]

the sun’s warmth on a cold winter’s day

 

aright [adverb]

correctly or properly

About the author

Manik Joshi was born on January 26, 1979, at Ranikhet, a picturesque town in the Kumaon region of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. He is a permanent resident of the Sheeshmahal area of Kathgodam located in the city of Haldwani in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand in India. He completed his schooling in four different schools. He is a science graduate in the ZBC – zoology, botany, and chemistry – subjects. He is also an MBA with a specialization in marketing. Additionally, he holds diplomas in “computer applications”, “multimedia and web-designing”, and “computer hardware and networking”. During his schooldays, he wanted to enter the field of medical science; however, after graduation, he shifted his focus to the field of management. After obtaining his MBA, he enrolled in a computer education center; he became so fascinated with working on the computer that he decided to develop his career in this field. Over the following years, he worked at some computer-related full-time jobs. Following that, he became interested in Internet Marketing, particularly in domaining (business of buying and selling domain names), web design (creating websites), and various other online jobs. However, later he shifted his focus solely to self-publishing. Manik is a nature-lover. He has always been fascinated by overcast skies. He is passionate about traveling and enjoys solo travel most of the time rather than traveling in groups. He is actually quite a loner who prefers to do his own thing. He likes to listen to music, particularly when he is working on the computer. Reading and writing are definitely his favorite pastimes, but he has no interest in sports. Manik has always dreamt of a prosperous life and prefers to live a life of luxury. He has a keen interest in politics because he believes it is politics that decides everything else. He feels a sense of gratification sharing his experiences and knowledge with the outside world. However, he is an introvert by nature and thus gives prominence to only a few people in his personal life. He is not a spiritual man, yet he actively seeks knowledge about the metaphysical world; he is particularly interested in learning about life beyond death. In addition to writing academic/informational text and fictional content, he also maintains a personal diary. He has always had a desire to stand out from the crowd. He does not believe in treading the beaten path and avoids copying someone else’s path to success. Two things he always refrains from are smoking and drinking; he is a teetotaler and very health-conscious. He usually wakes up before the sun rises. He starts his morning with meditation and exercise. Fitness is an integral and indispensable part of his life. He gets energized by solving complex problems. He loves himself the way he is and he loves the way he looks. He doesn’t believe in following fashion trends. He dresses according to what suits him and what he is comfortable in. He believes in taking calculated risks. His philosophy is to expect the best but prepare for the worst. According to him, you can’t succeed if you are unwilling to fail. For Manik, life is about learning from mistakes and figuring out how to move forward.