archaical
|ar-cha-i-cal|
🇺🇸
/ɑrˈkeɪɪkəl/
🇬🇧
/ɑːˈkeɪɪkəl/
(archaic)
ancient or old-fashioned
Etymology
'archaical' originates ultimately from Greek, specifically the word 'arkhaikos', where 'arkhaios' meant 'of the beginning' or 'ancient'.
'archaical' passed into Latin as 'archaicus' and then into Middle English (also via Old French influences) before appearing in modern English as 'archaical' (and the shorter variant 'archaic').
Initially, it meant 'relating to the beginning or ancient times'; over time it came to mean 'belonging to an earlier period' and often 'old-fashioned' or 'out of current use'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
old-fashioned or no longer in everyday use; belonging to or characteristic of an earlier period.
The museum displayed archaical tools used by the first settlers.
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Adjective 2
(Linguistics) Pertaining to an earlier stage of a language; surviving from an earlier form of the language.
Some pronouns in the poem are archaical and no longer used in everyday speech.
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Adjective 3
deliberately old-fashioned in style or manner (often used of deliberate stylistic choices).
The author adopted an archaical tone to evoke the atmosphere of the 18th century.
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Last updated: 2025/10/04 10:28