ˈärkēˌizəm, ˈȧk-, -kā- noun
( -s )
Etymology: New Latin archaismus, from Greek archaïsmos use of obsolete expressions, from archaios ancient + -ismos -ism — more at archae-
1. : the use of obsolete or old-fashioned diction, idiom, or style in writing or speaking or of the style of an earlier period in painting or other arts ; also : old-fashionedness in diction and style
by 1377 the idiom of 1311 was … an archaism already withering into anachronism — Bulletin of Institute of Historical Research
2. : an instance of archaic usage : an archaic word, idiom, or style occurring in such usage
the archaism thou art
3. : something archaic: as
a. biology : a survivor from a past period distinguished by retained characteristics out of keeping with its present surroundings
b. : an outmoded or inefficient custom, method, or way of thinking that survives from a past era
we must discard the archaisms that retard our culture
c. : the preference for standards, customs, or behavior characteristic of a past era
archaism — the referring of everything to the infallible authority of antiquity — Times Literary Supplement