First Known Use: 1832
Dictionary
archaic
adjective ar·cha·ic \är-ˈkā-ik\
: old and no longer used
: old and no longer useful
: of or relating to ancient times
Full Definition of ARCHAIC
1
: having the characteristics of the language of the past and surviving chiefly in specialized uses <an archaic word>
2
: of, relating to, or characteristic of an earlier or more primitive time : antiquated <archaic legal traditions>
3
capitalized : of or belonging to the early or formative phases of a culture or a period of artistic development; especially : of or belonging to the period leading up to the classical period of Greek culture
4
: surviving from an earlier period; specifically : typical of a previously dominant evolutionary stage
5
capitalized : of or relating to the period from about 8000 b.c. to 1000 b.c. and the North American cultures of that time
— ar·cha·i·cal·ly \-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
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Examples of ARCHAIC
- The author is a bluestocking, with a weakness for etymology and archaic religious texts, her body of work lauded for revealing the sacred in the ordinary. —Kathryn Harrison, New York Times Book Review, 21 Dec. 2008
- Europe's economic growth and productivity, Judt reminds us, for all the horror stories about archaic work regulations and inflexible labor markets, has remained impressive up to the current moment. —John T. McGreevy, Commonweal, 24 Mar. 2006
- The locals spoke a Slavish dialect so thick and archaic that it sounded as if they were chewing stale bread. —Bruce Sterling, Fantasy & Science Fiction, September 2005
- Between the upper limit of radiocarbon dating (about 50 ka) and the lower limit of radiogenic potassium dating (about 0.5 Ma) there used to exist a chronological lacuna that I call the Gap. This temporal range encompasses the transition of archaic humans into fully modern forms, so the lack of a reliable means of dating fossils from the Gap was disconcerting. —Ervan G. Garrison, Physics Today, October 2001
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Origin of ARCHAIC
French or Greek; French archaïque, from Greek archaïkos, from archaios
Related to ARCHAIC
- Synonyms
- antiquated, obsolete, dated, démodé, demoded, fossilized, kaput (also kaputt), medieval (also mediaeval), moribund, mossy, moth-eaten, neolithic, Noachian, outdated, outmoded, out-of-date, outworn, passé, prehistoric (also prehistorical), rusty, Stone Age, superannuated
Synonym Discussion of ARCHAIC
old, ancient, venerable, antique, antiquated, archaic, obsolete mean having come into existence or use in the more or less distant past. old may apply to either actual or merely relative length of existence <old houses> <an old sweater of mine>. ancient applies to occurrence, existence, or use in or survival from the distant past <ancient accounts of dragons>. venerable stresses the impressiveness and dignity of great age <the family's venerable patriarch>. antique applies to what has come down from a former or ancient time <collected antique Chippendale furniture>. antiquated implies being discredited or outmoded or otherwise inappropriate to the present time <antiquated teaching methods>. archaic implies having the character or characteristics of a much earlier time <the play used archaic language to convey a sense of period>. obsolete may apply to something regarded as no longer acceptable or useful even though it is still in existence <a computer that makes earlier models obsolete>.
Other History Terms
ARCHAIC Defined for Kids
archaic
adjective ar·cha·ic \är-ˈkā-ik\
Definition of ARCHAIC for Kids
: of, relating to, or existing from an earlier time <archaic words> <archaic customs>
Medical Dictionary
archaic
adjective ar·cha·ic \är-ˈkā-ik\
Medical Definition of ARCHAIC
1
: typical of a previously dominant evolutionary stage <archaic features of a fossil skull>
2
: having the characteristics of primitive humans and their animal forebears especially as represented in the unconscious and appearing in behavior as manifestations of the unconscious
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