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Do you know what one of the key factors allowing languages to stay alive for centuries is? It’s because they are evolving together with the people they are used by, the culture, and the historical happenings. And we, being not so green on the topic of evolution, know that once something has evolved, the primary version of it becomes obsolete (usually). The same goes for words! Take, for instance, some of the old English words, like bumfuzzle and cattywampus - nobody knows anymore what they mean or that they ever existed! Sorry, now you are aware of their existence, so scratch the latter. Still, they definitely fall under the category of obsolete words and find their place neatly in our list of outdated words!
Before you scroll down below to see the funny words, be advised to do so in your leisure time as you might find yourself spending way more time than you should reading these weird words and laughing at them heartily. Or trying to make your own dictionary entirely out of these outdated words. Now that sounds like a dandy idea, doesn’t it? What’s even more fun is that some of these also fall under the category of outdated slang words, so, yeah - a wave of nostalgia is incoming!
Right-o, grab a pen and a piece of paper - you will definitely want to write some of these bad boys down! Be sure to give your vote for the obsolete word that has amused you the most, and share this article with your friends!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Growlery
Meaning: A place where you can retreat from the world when you’re in bad mood
RELATED:
#2
Cool beans Meaning: Used to express approval or delight
David Smith 3 years ago
People I worked with in the late 90s used it a lot. I always cringed when I heard it.
#3
Hornswoggle Meaning: To scam or con
#4
Whippersnapper Meaning: A young and unimportant person who behaves in a way that others think is too confident and rude
#5
Poltroon
Meaning: A spiritless coward; craven
Magnifico Giganticus 3 years ago
Sean Connery used this word for Alex Trebek on Celebrity Jeopardy!
David Smith 3 years ago
I use this one quite a bit. Especially when discussing those of a certain foolish persuasion.
#6
Fuzzle Meaning: To have a good time – drunk or intoxicated
Shannon Mallory 3 years ago
Our family has always used "fuzzled" to describe the look of someone who has just awakened.
#7
Rapscallion Meaning: A person who causes trouble
Got Banned But Now I'm Back 3 years ago
Also commonly used. Did someone who doesn't speak English make this list?
#8
Twelvemonth Meaning: A year
#9
Paramour Meaning: A person that somebody is having a romantic or sexual relationship with
#10
Peeler
Meaning: A police officer
Shannon Mallory 3 years ago
A very Irishism. Mr Peel is the same source for the (still in use) English term Bobbies for police officers. The Irish chose to use the slightly more denigrating-sounding Peelers.
#11
Baloney Meaning: Ideas, statements or beliefs that you think are silly or not true; lies
#12
Lumming Meaning: The overwhelming urge to do nothing
#13
Gallivant Meaning: To go from place to place enjoying yourself
sofacushionfort 3 years ago
Interchangeable with traipse or sashay, provided one qualifies as a gol-darn galoot.
#14
Hootenanny Meaning: An informal social event at which people play folk music, sing and sometimes dance
#15
Apricity Meaning: The warmth of the sun in winter
#16
Zenzizenzizenzic Meaning: An obsolete form of mathematical notation representing the eighth power of a number
#17
Twattle Meaning: To gossip
#18
Gorgonize Meaning: To have a paralyzing or mesmerizing effect on
#19
Resistentialism
Meaning: Seemingly spiteful behavior manifested by inanimate objects
#20
Sluberdegullion Meaning: A filthy, slobbering person
#21
Wonder-wench Meaning: A sweetheart
#22
Pistoleer Meaning: One who is armed with a pistol
#23
Salamander Meaning: A red-hot iron or poker
#24
Sanguinary Meaning: Involving or causing much bloodshed
sofacushionfort 3 years ago
Or an imbalance of the blood humor. Compare to phlegmatic, bilious and choleric
#25
Fiddlesticks Meaning: Used to say that you disagree with somebody
#26
Elflock
Meaning: A lock of hair, fancifully regarded as having been tangled by the elves
#27
Beef-witted Meaning: Stupid; dull
Squirrelly Panda 3 years ago
Never heard of beef-witted. I assume it is the masculine version of hen-witted. There is also more hair than wit, nitwit, numbskull, featherbrain.
#30
Fandangle
Meaning: An ornate or fantastic ornament
#31
Fizgig
Meaning: A silly or flirtatious young woman
#35
Tickled
Meaning: Pleased; when you think something is funny.
#36
With squirrel Meaning: Pregnant; expecting a baby
Squirrelly Panda 3 years ago
Expecting, in an interesting way/condition, about to be confined (very pregnant), bun in the oven, and so many more euphemisms
#37
Fishwife Meaning: A woman who sells fish
#43
Hooch Meaning: Strong alcoholic drink, especially something that has been made illegally
#44
Frock Meaning: A dress
Kookamunga 3 years ago
Yes, and I like "trousers" much better than pants.
Load More Replies... #45
Yuppie Meaning: A young college-educated adult who is employed in a well-paying profession and who lives and works in or near a large city
Squirrelly Panda 3 years ago
I feel old, this was coined in my youth. Though I learned it as Young Unmarried Professional, not urban. In other words, making loads of money and no family obligations.
sofacushionfort 3 years ago
As an economic class they still exist, but stylistically they disappeared in the tech boom of the 90s when office attire went casual
#46
Cockalorum Meaning: A self-important little man
#47
California widow Meaning: A married woman whose husband has been absent for an extended period
Devin Singh 3 years ago
Fun tangentially related fact. A California tuxedo or a California suit is when you pair a navy blazer with light/tan/khaki pants.
#48
Asunder Meaning: Apart from each other
Kookamunga 3 years ago
Still at use in weddings, right? "What God has joined together let no man put asunder"
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
It probably depends where you live. Where I am, much of the 'traditional' service has been dropped, including this and asking if anyone objects, for the most part.
Load More Replies... #49
Bedlam Meaning: An asylum for the mentally ill
Shannon Mallory 3 years ago
Shortened from "Bethlehem" from the name of an English sanitarium (St Mary's of Bethlehem), hence the connection to chaos and insanity
#50
Gammer
Meaning: An old woman
#52
Hearken Meaning: To listen
#54
Jakes Meaning: An outdoor toilet
#56
Small beer Meaning: Weak or inferior beer
#57
Sweetmeat
Meaning: An item of confectionery or sweet food
Squirrelly Panda 3 years ago
As opposed to sweetbreads, which are some internal organs of animals, like the pancreas and thalmus glands so sweetmeat is not meat and sweetbread is not bread.
L̸1̶z̵ 3 years ago
Interesting, and there is also sweet bread that is actually bread...
Load More Replies...
Sheila Mitchell 3 years ago
It actually refers to the cut of meat...testicles or the contents of a nut.
#58
Unhand Meaning: To remove the hand from; let go
#60
Zounds Meaning: An expression of surprise or indignation
Squirrelly Panda 3 years ago (edited)
Zoiks! Gadzooks! Ye gads! I could be wrong, but I think zounds comes from God's hounds. (Edit because autocorrect turned gads into gadsden for some reason)
David Smith 3 years ago
Sounds like something Shaggy or Scooby Doo would say.
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#64
Galoshes Meaning: Rubber shoes that are worn over normal shoes in wet weather
Anastasiia Golubtsova 11 months ago
The word is a cognate with a Russian word галоши (galoshi). It is still in use and that is what we call crocs.
#65
Clicker Meaning: A device that allows you to operate a television, etc. from a distance
#66
Stoked Meaning: Excited and pleased about something
#67
Broad
Meaning: A woman
#69
Boob tube Meaning: The television
L̸1̶z̵ 3 years ago (edited)
A tube top is what we called that here (Saskatchewan, Canada)
Load More Replies... #70
Britches Meaning: Short trousers fastened just below the knee
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
I believe people still call kids 'grumpy britches' as much as 'grumpy pants'. Also, there is a dinner theatre place in Melbourne called Witches in Britches.
#72
Curglaff Meaning: The shock felt when one first plunges into cold water
#73
Lunting
Meaning: Walking around while smoking a pipe
#74
Callipygian Meaning: Having well-shaped buttocks.
#75
Houppelande Meaning: A loose belted overgown usually with long wide sleeves, dagged edges, a fur lining, and full-length skirt often with slits in it
#77
Brimstone Meaning: Sulfur
#78
Camelopard Meaning: A giraffe
#79
Cordwainer Meaning: A shoemaker
#80
Espousal
Meaning: A marriage; engagement
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
Also 'an act of adopting or supporting a cause, belief, or way of life'
#81
Gadzooks Meaning: An expression of surprise or annoyance
#83
Leech Meaning: A physician; healer
#84
Love apple Meaning: A tomato
sofacushionfort 3 years ago
The New World tomato was suspected of inflaming sexual desire. Italian cuisine: we’ll have that.
#88
Slugabed Meaning: A person who stays in bed after the usual or proper time to get up
#90
Water closet Meaning: A compartment or room with a toilet
#91
Tittynope Meaning: A small quantity of something left over
Heather Barnett 3 years ago
I think this is the first one that made me go 'no, that can't be a real word' XD
#92
Tight Meaning: Drunk; tipsy
#93
Stepping out Meaning: Being unfaithful; cheating
Squirrelly Panda 3 years ago
Could also mean going on a date, even if single. Bachelor stepping out, not a big deal. Married person stepping out was fodder for gossip (as well as straight up wrong)
#94
Pismire
Meaning: An archaic word for an ant
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
Similar to my favourite 'mouldwarp, archaic word for mole (animal)'.
#95
Excogigate Meaning: Think out, plan, or devise
#99
Apothecary Meaning: One who prepares and sells drugs or compounds for medicinal purposes
L̸1̶z̵ 3 years ago
There is a brand that uses already in its name so this is still used as well
Devin Singh 3 years ago
Also the Russian word for pharmacy is аптека (pronounced ap-tye-ka), which has the same root as apothecary.
Load More Replies...
#103
Damsel
Meaning: A young unmarried woman
#106
Man-at-arms Meaning: A heavily armed and usually mounted soldier
#109
Schoolmarm Meaning: A woman who is a schoolteacher especially in a rural or small-town school
#113
Pocketbook Meaning: A small bag for money, keys, etc., carried especially by women
#114
Bosom Meaning: A woman’s chest or breasts
Katie Lutesinger 3 years ago
🎶 Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow, everybody needs a bosom! 🎶
#115
Percolator
Meaning: A pot for making coffee, in which boiling water is forced up a central tube and then comes down again through the coffee
Squirrelly Panda 3 years ago
Percolators are not common, but they are still around. Now days most people prefer drip, pour over, or French press coffee.
#116
TiVo Meaning: A brand of digital video recorder and subscription-based service used chiefly for recording television programs
#117
Videotape Meaning: A type of magnetic tape used in the past for recording moving pictures and sound; a box containing this tape, also called a video cassette
L̸1̶z̵ 3 years ago
We've got about 6 or 7 VCR's and have been using them for parts in a still working VCR so we can watch our VHS movies lol We have a lot of VHS movies still too
Load More Replies... #118
Whoopee Meaning: A sexual play
Kookamunga 3 years ago
TV game show Newlywed Game, Bob Eubanks used "making whoopee" as a euphemism for sex.....anyone remember? whoopee-63...8c587a.jpg 
#121
Quockerwodger Meaning: A type of wooden puppet controlled by strings
#122
Ague Meaning: A fever (such as malaria) marked by paroxysms of chills, fever, and sweating that recur at regular intervals
#123
Behoof Meaning: Advantage; profit; benefit
Shannon Mallory 3 years ago
Yes, following the same rule as Hoof/Hooves, Staff/Staves, Dwarf/Dwarves, Leaf/Leaves. Behoof/Behooves.
Squirrelly Panda 3 years ago
I thought it was spelled behoove, as in it would behoove me to...
#124
Buck
Meaning: A fashionable and daring young man
Mr Jumbarrawa 3 years ago
I have a buck in my wallet ( one dollar ) how much that cost 40 bucks ( 40 dollars )
#125
Bumper Meaning: A generous glass of an alcoholic drink
#128
Davenport Meaning: A large upholstered sofa often convertible into a bed
#129
Fourscore Meaning: Being four times twenty; eighty
Squirrelly Panda 3 years ago
Score means twenty. So three score is sixty. Four score is well known because it was a poetic way to say eighty in the Gettysburg Address.
#133
Rover Meaning: A pirate
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
Also 'a person who spends their time wandering' which is why the Scouts Australia uses it for their 18-25 year old group.
#135
Yonder
Meaning: At or in that indicated more or less distant place usually within sight
Shannon Mallory 3 years ago
"Hither, thither and yon" is an old phrase meaning Everywhere. My boss wrote (in our daily notes) that he had appointments "hither, dither and yon." Since he's largely ineffectual, the "dither" misprint was quite funny.
#138
Freck Meaning: To move swiftly or nimbly
David Smith 3 years ago
I thought that was "frack". I first heard it on Battlestar Galactica (I think), in the late 70s.
Load More Replies... #140
Icebox Meaning: A separate section in a fridge for making and storing ice
Mr Jumbarrawa 3 years ago
actually, it was the name of fridges that used big blocks of ice and not electricity
Squirrelly Panda 3 years ago
And after modern refrigerators became a thing making iceboxes obsolete the term became a nickname for fridge.
Load More Replies... #141
Floppy Disk Meaning: A thin plastic disk coated with magnetic material on which data for a computer can be stored
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
Yep, I just used them for party décor for a Y2K themed party :)
Load More Replies... #142
Crapulous
Meaning: Marked by intemperance especially in eating or drinking
#143
Groak Meaning: To stare at people who are eating in the hope that they will offer to share their food
#150
Galoshes Meaning: waterproof shoes; shoes with a heavy sole
#153
Scruple Meaning: A unit of capacity equal to ¹/₂₄ Apothecaries' ounce
Katie Lutesinger 3 years ago
Another meaning is of course a principle someone holds. Hence "unscrupulous" for a scumbag who has no principles.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
There is a board game called scruples where you have to decide what you would do in certain situations. I'm not sure when it first came out, but my parents bought it in the 80s and there were some questionable ones like 'what would you do if you found out your neighbour was gay'. It has since been updated, thankfully.
Load More Replies... #154
Scurvy Meaning: Worthless; contemptible
#155
Steed
Meaning: A horse used or trained for riding; a spirited horse
#157
Turnkey Meaning: A jailer
#159
Wherefore Meaning: For what reason or purpose; why
#161
Scrub Meaning: A less-than-desirable guy or girl
#163
Courting
Meaning: To try to please somebody in order to get something you want, especially the support of a person, an organization
#171
Wherewith
Meaning: That with or by which
#172
Whither Meaning: To what place or state
sofacushionfort 3 years ago
Whither? Thither and hither. Praythee mayest I have the car fobbery?
#173
Yoke Meaning: The amount of land that one pair of oxen could plough in a day
#174
Pictures Meaning: A painting or drawing, etc. that shows a scene, a person or thing
Gianna Mixon 1 year ago
A less used one could be "picture" as in movie because its more common to call them movies or movie theaters.
#177
World Wide Web (WWW) Meaning: A system for finding information on the internet, in which documents are connected to other documents using hypertext links
#178
Heavens
Meaning: Used to show that you are surprised or annoyed
#180
Fair Meaning: Beautiful
Devin Singh 3 years ago
So like, the first 6 years of video games? Cheat codes have been common as dirt for over 40 years now.
Load More Replies... #181
Go-cart Meaning: A baby walker
Mr Jumbarrawa 3 years ago
please don't put babies in Go-karts.. their poor little legs won't reach the peddles
#182
Desuetude
Meaning: A state of inactivity or disuse
#183
Ostentatious Meaning: Attracting or seeking to attract attention, admiration
#184
Mobile phone Meaning: A phone that does not have wires and works by radio, that you can carry with you and use anywhere
#185
Coz
Meaning: Cousin
What do you think ?
Shannon Mallory 3 years ago
I particularly missed Fortnight and Curmudgeon, both of which belong here, but lovely job, thank you 😊
Got Banned But Now I'm Back 3 years ago
Someone who doesn't speak English must have compiled this list. About 30% are common words, very much in use today. I love words and was interested in this list. Accuray isn't really a BP strength, is it?
Heaton Custom Woodworking Floyd Heaton 3 years ago
Most of these are still in use...just regional dialects. The person that wrote this article is an "idiot" : one who is ill informed or unlearned in a particular subject..
Armando Nóbrega 2 years ago (edited)
A list of amazing ancien word and there is no OVERMORROW in it?
Shannon Mallory 3 years ago
I particularly missed Fortnight and Curmudgeon, both of which belong here, but lovely job, thank you 😊
Got Banned But Now I'm Back 3 years ago
Someone who doesn't speak English must have compiled this list. About 30% are common words, very much in use today. I love words and was interested in this list. Accuray isn't really a BP strength, is it?
Heaton Custom Woodworking Floyd Heaton 3 years ago
Most of these are still in use...just regional dialects. The person that wrote this article is an "idiot" : one who is ill informed or unlearned in a particular subject..
Armando Nóbrega 2 years ago (edited)
A list of amazing ancien word and there is no OVERMORROW in it?
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