Real Words Without Definition
This one is a judgement call.
Old English that fell out of use and got dropped from later dictionaries.
abush is an old form of ambush. absee was the alphabet. abiston was a name for asbestos. abbroachment was the offence of buying wholesale to sell on at retail.
These were normal words with normal definitions. People stopped using them and the dictionaries stopped carrying them.
2,710 words · sorted A to Z · each with a line on why it is here
Matches the word itself, not the note beside it. Case does not matter.
| Word, sorted Z to A | What it meant |
|---|---|
| flect | obs., to bend |
| flitwite | OE law, fine for brawling |
| fload | obs. spelling of flood |
| floroun | ME, a flower-shaped ornament |
| floyt | obs. spelling of flute |
| fluctigerous | rare Latinate, wave-bearing |
| fluctisonant | rare Latinate, sounding with waves |
| fluible | obs., capable of flowing |
| fluminose | rare, abounding in streams |
| fluvious | rare, of or belonging to rivers |
| foeture | obs., a bringing forth of young (L. fetura) |
| foleye | ME, to act foolishly |
| follily | ME, foolishly |
| follyer | obs. spelling of follower |
| fonnish | obs., foolish (ME fon, a fool) |
| forbecause | obs. conjunction, because |
| forblow | obs., to blow violently or blow away |
| forbruise | obs., to bruise severely |
| forbysen | ME, an example or parable |
| forcelet | ME, a small fortress |
| forcet | obs., a small casket or box |
| forchase | obs., to chase or drive away |
| fordeal | obs., advantage, profit |
| forefit | obsolete spelling of forfeit |
| foreloop | to run before; base of foreloper |
| forfear | for- (intensive) + fear, to frighten greatly |
| forfit | obsolete spelling of forfeit |
| forgett | old spelling of forget |
| forhaile | to draw away, distract (Spenser) |
| forinsecal | foreign, external (L. forinsecus) |
| forleit | to forsake, abandon (ME forleten) |
| forloin | hunting, to leave the pack far behind |
| formidolous | fearful, dreadful (L. formidulosus) |
| forprise | to except, exclude (legal ME) |
| forride | to outride, ride down (for- + ride) |
| forrue | for- (intensive) + rue, to rue bitterly |
| forslake | to slake or quench utterly |
| forsung | worn out with singing (for- + sung) |
| fortaxed | over-taxed, over-reproached (for- + taxed) |
| forthon | OE forthon, therefore, because |
| fortravail | to weary out with toil (ME) |
| forvay | to go astray (OF forvoier) |
| forweend | ME forwened, pampered, spoilt |
| forwoden | ME for- + wode (mad), driven mad |
| forwore | past of forwear, worn out utterly |
| fossarian | early-church order of grave-diggers (L. fossarius) |
| founte | archaic spelling of fount (Spenser) |
| fourb | a cheat, knave (Fr. fourbe) |
| fourquine | a forked musket-rest (Fr. fourquine) |
| fowage | hearth-tax, hearth-money (= foage, fumage) |
| fowells | old plural of fowl (foweles) |
| frampler | a brawler, quarrelsome fellow (cf. frampold) |
| fraple | to bluster, wrangle (cf. frapler) |
| fratriage | feudal law, a younger brother's portion |
| fraunch | to devour greedily, crunch |
| frenne | a stranger, foreigner (Spenser; var. of fremd) |
| friborgh | Anglo-Saxon law, frankpledge (frithborh) |
| frigefact | to make cold (L. frigefacere) |
| frike | ME, brisk, vigorous (var. of frack) |
| friscal | a caper, frisk in dancing |
| friskin | a frisk, frolic, caper |
| frithborgh | Anglo-Saxon law, frankpledge |
| frithbot | Anglo-Saxon law, fine for breach of the peace |
| frithsoken | Anglo-Saxon law, sanctuary, right of asylum |
| frixion | obsolete spelling of friction |
| frokin | a young woman, damsel (Du. vrouwken) |
| frontstall | the frontlet of a horse's bridle |
| fronture | frontage, the front part |
| frouze | to frizz the hair; a frizzed wig |
| frowy | musty, rank, of butter or wood |
| frubbish | to furbish, rub up, polish |
| frundel | old measure of about two pecks |
| frustulent | full of crumbs or fragments |
| fucation | a painting of the face, disguise |
| fucatious | painted, counterfeit |
| fullom | a loaded die (fulham) |
| funebrous | funereal, mournful |
| furacana | early form of hurricane |
| furicane | early form of hurricane |
| furison | a steel for striking fire (heraldry) |
| furrure | fur trimming, a lining of fur |
| fusc | dark, dusky, brown |
| gainpain | a mercenary's sword; a bread-winner |
| gainturn | a turning back (gain- = against) |
| galligaskin | singular of galligaskins, wide breeches |
| gamash | a legging or gaiter |
| gansel | garlic sauce served with goose |
| gardeen | old spelling of garden |
| gardeviance | chest for valuables or food (garde-viande) |
| gardevisure | the visor of a helmet |
| gargalize | to gargle |
| gargil | disease of the throat in geese and swine |
| garrat | old spelling of garret |
| garthman | one who holds a garth or fish-weir |
| gastrimargy | gluttony |
| gatherum | mock-Latin, a miscellany (omnium gatherum) |
| gayment | gay attire, finery |
| gelofer | gillyflower |
| gelofre | gillyflower |
| gemellion | one of a pair of basins for washing hands |
The other lists filed alongside this one.
