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 |
|---|---|
| genarch | the head of a family or clan |
| gentman | contracted form of gentleman |
| gepoun | gipon, a tunic worn with armor |
| gernative | given to snarling or grinning (ME gern) |
| gesning | entertainment of a guest, a visit |
| gesseron | a jesserant, coat of mail |
| gestonie | hospitality, entertainment of guests |
| ghastily | archaic adv., in a ghastly manner |
| gibbartas | old name for the rorqual or finback whale |
| gigge | obsolete spelling of gig |
| gignate | obs., to beget or generate |
| gignitive | obs., generative, able to beget |
| gilliflirt | obs., a giddy flirting girl |
| gilten | obs., gilded, made of gold |
| gimmor | obs., a piece of mechanism, a contrivance |
| gipon | obs., a medieval tunic (jupon) |
| gipsire | obs., a pouch worn at the belt |
| giroflore | obs. form of gillyflower |
| glabreity | obs., smoothness, hairlessness |
| gleyde | obs. spelling of glede, the kite |
| glopnen | ME, to be startled or dismayed |
| gluttery | obs. form of gluttony |
| goliardeys | Chaucer's word for a goliard, a buffoon |
| goloe | goloe-shoe, an overshoe or galosh |
| gossampine | old name for the silk-cotton tree |
| granage | old law, a toll of grain paid to a lord |
| grandeval | of great age, aged (L. grandaevus) |
| grassant | raging, prevailing (L. grassans) |
| gratility | Shakespearean nonce word for a gratuity |
| gratillity | Shakespeare's nonce word for a gratuity |
| gravidate | to make pregnant |
| greably | agreeably (from aphetic greable) |
| grecing | a flight of steps (from grece, a step) |
| greing | greeing, agreeing or coming to terms |
| gressible | able to walk |
| griece | a step or flight of steps |
| grieced | heraldry, (of a cross) set on steps |
| grimsir | a stern, grim old man |
| grimsire | a stern, grim old man |
| grincome | old cant, the venereal disease |
| grinter | keeper of a granary |
| grintern | a granary bin or compartment |
| griph | a riddle or enigma (Gr. griphos) |
| grisbet | gnashing of the teeth |
| grithman | one entitled to grith (sanctuary) |
| grizard | a gray-haired person (cf. grizzle) |
| grosshead | a blockhead (cf. grouthead) |
| grouthead | a blockhead, thickskull |
| groutnoll | a blockhead (grout + noll, head) |
| grudgeons | coarse meal, bran siftings |
| grummeter | a ship's boy (cf. grummet) |
| gubbertush | a projecting or buck tooth |
| gudget | a servant or camp-follower |
| guilfat | gyle-fat, a brewer's fermenting vat |
| guillevat | guile-vat, a brewer's fermenting tun |
| gulist | a glutton (L. gula, throat) |
| gullygut | a glutton |
| gundygut | a glutton, a fat fellow |
| gurgeon | coarse meal or bran siftings |
| gyrous | turned round, gyrate |
| habitacule | obs., a small dwelling or habitation |
| habitally | obs., habitually |
| haemorrhagy | obs. form of haemorrhage |
| hagueton | obs., padded jacket worn under mail |
| halch | obs., to embrace, clasp; a noose |
| hamfare | obs. law, an assault upon a house |
| handicuff | obs., a blow with the hand; fisticuffs |
| handistroke | obs., a blow with the hand |
| handsale | obs., a bargain confirmed by handshake |
| handycuff | obs., a blow with the hand; fisticuffs |
| handyfight | obs., a hand-to-hand fight |
| handygrip | obs., a hand-to-hand grapple |
| handygripe | obs., a grasp with the hand |
| hangby | obs., a hanger-on, a dependent |
| harast | obs. spelling of harassed |
| harbingery | obs., lodging; a harbinger's office |
| harbourous | obs., hospitable, affording shelter |
| harbrough | obs. form of harbour, shelter |
| hariolize | obs., to practise divination |
| harlock | obs. plant-name in Drayton (perh. charlock) |
| harpsical | obs. form of harpsichord |
| harrycane | obs. spelling of hurricane |
| harstrang | obs., hog's fennel (Peucedanum) |
| harstrong | obs., hog's fennel (Peucedanum) |
| hartake | obs. spelling of heartache |
| hartly | obs. spelling of heartly, hearty |
| hasht | obs./dial. spelling of hashed |
| haskard | obs., a low fellow, a churl |
| hastler | obs., one who turns the roasting-spit |
| heautarit | alchemy, quicksilver (mercury) |
| heavity | heaviness, sorrow |
| hective | obs. form of hectic |
| helleboraster | herbalists' name for stinking hellebore |
| hemicrane | obs., megrim, migraine (hemicrania) |
| hendly | courteously, from ME hend, gentle |
| hendness | courtesy, gentleness, from ME hend |
| herbager | one holding right of herbage, a grazier |
| herbrough | Middle English form of harbour, lodging |
| hereadays | adv., in these days, nowadays |
| hereagain | adv., back here, again in this place |
The other lists filed alongside this one.
