Archaic vocabulary

These 10 archaic words would make our modern vocabularies so much better!

Image: Patrick Tomasso

Language is considered a living tissue, so it stands to reason that the words we use as we move through the decades change with us: Since we have no use for some words, they sadly fade from existence and are ultimately forgotten. However, that doesn’t need to be the case: Who says we can’t launch some kind of conservation effort to keep words relevant? With that in mind, we have selected 10 forgotten words that we think should make a well-deserved comeback. We honestly believe that adding these terms to our collective vocabularies would make our lives easier, or at least, more colorful. Enjoy!

Image: Torsten Dederichs

"Balderdash" sounds like the perfect noun for a bold and daring adventurer, someone who doesn’t fret in the face of danger. However, the actual definition of this word can’t be further from these notions: Balderdash is an extremely old expression used to describe a senseless, stupid, or exaggerated way of speaking or writing. Not only that, but it can also be used as an exclamation of disbelief, similar to other old-timey terms like "baloney" or "hogwash."

Image: Resume Genius

For such a silly-sounding word, "donnybrook" has some rather rowdy definitions. While some dictionaries define it as a synonym for fight or brawl, others definitions for these words don’t delve into physical altercations: A donnybrook could be a flashy and public argument, for instance. It would seem that the one quality that any "donnybrook" worth its wacky name should cause some sort of uproar.

Image: JOSHUA COLEMAN

Another funny-sounding word in this article (be ready for many more), the term ballyhoo is as charming as it sounds. This word is used to describe something that tries to get people excited, usually in a flashy or ostentatious manner. For instance, an advertisement campaign might make a lot of "ballyhoo" to get audiences excited about a certain product, movie, or book.

Image: Noah Buscher

Now, I know what you are thinking: Although not extremely popular, this word is sometimes used in our modern times. However, we would like to make the case that it is not used nearly enough. As you probably know, "tomfoolery" is a term used to describe playful, silly, or foolish behavior. While it is sometimes used as a pejorative term, especially in formal situations where foolish behavior is looked down upon, the truth is that this term is harmless enough to warrant its promotion in modern vocabularies.

Image: Maxime Gilbert

Let’s start with a small disclaimer: We do not condone physical violence, so please don’t go around throwing fisticuffs with strangers. This old-timey term dates back to at least the 17th century and remained popular until the 1930s. As the name suggests, the word fisticuffs relates to fighting with your fists: However, in some cases, it has also been used to describe an extremely heated or volatile argument between two people.

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Galoot definitively sounds like a term of endearment. You might have heard someone refer to their beloved (and massive) Big Dane as "a big galoot." However, tread lightly if you think about using this word: After all, it describes someone extremely clumsy or awkward. In any case, "galoot" is such a silly-sounding word that bringing it back seems like a good idea, if only for the many adorable dogs that might be called a galoot.

Image: Towfiqu barbhuiya

We live in a world that loves abbreviations: The internet age has given us extremely popular terms like LOL and OMG. In that sense, don’t you think the expression "the day after tomorrow" is a bit of a mouthful? However, the archaic word "overmorrow" might be the answer we are looking for. This term is short, concise, and perfectly summarizes the day after tomorrow in only one word. We hope that this article helps launch this term into popularity.

Image: Everton Vila

Limerence is basically another word for being lovesick: It describes the involuntary obsession and melancholic feelings that come with falling in love with someone. Think of all those soap opera characters longing for the one they can’t have, often staring at a picture on a locket or at the falling rain: Those are, in our opinion, the best examples of limerence.

Image: Ben White

If old-timey gangster films have taught us anything, it is that "rat" is not only the name of one of our least favorite rodents but also the term used to describe someone who discloses information to the police. In that sense, the pejorative term "ratfink" applies to not only the act of "snitching", but also to someone utterly unpleasant or obnoxious.

Image: Wonderlane

"Chatoyant" is one of those words that doesn’t really do justice to the gorgeous natural event it describes: This term (which derives from a concept known as "the chatoyancy effect") describes a unique concept on which reflected light appears as well-defined bands on a glossy surface. This gorgeous occurrence, reminiscent of a cat’s eye, doesn’t seem reflected by the clumsiness of the word "chatoyant," but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t bring it to our collective attention.

HIDDEN GEMS

The 8 Most Beautiful Words In The English Language

Image: Marina Vitale

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or maybe in the ear of the listener, in this case. Although beauty is always subjective, there are some words that–for different reasons–stand out from the crowd and are almost universally praised for their beautiful meanings or mellowness to the ear.

Here’s a list of eight of our favorite English words, enjoy!

Image: Isaac Davis

A fortunate but unexpected discovery. Most scientific breakthroughs come this way!

The word can be traced back to an ancient Persian tale about three princes from a far-away country called Serendip (or Serendippo in some versions) that, with a mix of wisdom and lucky accidents, navigate their way through many seemingly impossible challenges.

Image: Matteo Minelli

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, "an idyllic place or experience is extremely pleasant, beautiful, or peaceful." A clear-skied afternoon spent in a colorful meadow, a summer spent at your lovely grandmother’s house on the outskirts of town, a calm and beautiful beach under a cliffside, hidden from view, these are all possible examples of idyllic places. In Ancient Greece, an idyll was also a short poem descriptive of rustic life—which may explain why we tend to associate this word with nature and simple things.

Image: Vitto Sommella

As you may already know, sequoias are coniferous redwood trees that can be found mostly in Northern California. They are the largest trees on Earth! These towering giants were named after Sequoya, a Cherokee man who devised a system of writing for his people's language.

Image: Markus Spiske

A very poetic word, it can refer either to "a film of cobwebs floating in the air in calm clear weather," or to something delicate and insubstantial: the gossamer of midsummer dreams. In Middle English, it used to refer to a warm spell during late autumn, when geese are in season—literally "goose summer." Moreover, the association of the word with light or delicate elements, such as cobwebs, likely stems from the silk-like texture of goose down.

Image: Roman Synkevych

The pleasant scent of rain or, more specifically, the scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. Derived from Ancient Greek roots, "petra" signifies rock or stone, while "ichor" refers to a fluid associated with the blood of the Gods.

When water falls to the ground, air bubbles trapped within the soil are displaced, forming aerosols that carry scents as well as some microorganisms. Apparently, humans evolved to perceive it, as our noses are capable of discerning one of the main released compounds, geosmin, at concentrations as low as 0.4 parts per billion.

Image: Jakob Owens

Aurora was the Roman goddess of dawn, and like its Greek counterpart Eos, it carries the linguistic root of an earlier Indo-European word also relating to the dawn of the day. Traditionally, it is also the given name of the princess of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty.

Nowadays, we tend to associate it mostly with the Aurora Borealis (or Aurora Australis if it is located in the southern hemisphere), a natural electromagnetic phenomenon seen in high-latitude regions.

Image: Mike Setchell

A cynosure, literally Greek for "dog's tail," is a guiding principle, something or someone that is the center of attention. However, it was originally used to refer to the North Star, or even the entire Ursa Minor constellation, since it was extensively used for navigation.

Image: Eddie Kopp

This Ancient Greek word (notice a pattern?) refers to a blissful state of being happy, healthy, and prosperous, usually translated as "happiness" or "welfare." It can also appear as eudaimonia or eudemonia.

According to Aristotle, eudaemonia is the highest good for humans, and the goal of practical philosophy is to better understand this state or experience in order to find a way to achieve it.