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 |
|---|---|
| orary | obs., of the orarium, the deacon's stole |
| orgament | obs. name for wild marjoram (origanum) |
| orgamy | obs., wild marjoram, organy |
| orguil | obs., pride, arrogance (OF orgueil) |
| orlage | obs., a clock, horologe |
| ornation | obs., adornment, ornamentation |
| orsede | obs., orsedew, leaf-brass or tinsel |
| ostlerie | obs., a hostelry or inn |
| otacust | obs., a listener or eavesdropper |
| otherguise | archaic, of another kind; otherwise |
| othertime | archaic adv., at another time |
| ottingkar | obs., a set of eight; an eighth part |
| ottroye | obs. form of octroy, to grant by charter |
| ounding | obs., wavy or undulating ornament |
| outrooper | obs., a public crier or auctioneer |
| overeate | archaic spelling of overeat |
| overrid | archaic preterite of override |
| oversile | to cover over, conceal |
| overwart | athwart, crosswise (var. of overthwart) |
| owhere | anywhere (ME owher) |
| padelion | the lady's-mantle, Fr. pied-de-lion |
| paegel | an old liquid measure, a gill |
| paindemaine | medieval fine white bread |
| paintry | painting, the art of painting |
| palation | the driving of piles |
| pampilion | a kind of fur or coarse cloth trimming |
| pandemy | a pandemic, general prevalence of disease |
| panegyre | a festal assembly or panegyric |
| panomphaic | uttering all oracles, epithet of Zeus |
| panomphic | uttering all oracles, epithet of Zeus |
| papagay | a parrot, also a popinjay target |
| papegay | a parrot, also a popinjay target |
| paramuthetic | consolatory, soothing |
| paratory | preparatory, that makes ready |
| parbate | par- (thoroughly) + bate, to beat down |
| parciloquy | sparingness of speech, brevity |
| paregal | archaic, fully equal (Spenser) |
| parfey | Middle English oath, "by my faith" |
| parial | obsolete, a pair-royal at cards |
| parify | obsolete, to make equal |
| parlesie | Middle English, palsy, paralysis |
| parnel | obsolete, a wanton woman or priest's mistress |
| partiary | law, sharing in a fixed proportion |
| particate | an old land measure, a rod or perch |
| pascuous | obsolete, relating to pasture |
| pasgarde | armour, reinforcing plate for jousting |
| passaree | nautical, rope booming out a foresail |
| passulate | to dry, as grapes into raisins |
| passulation | the drying of grapes into raisins |
| patand | arch., the base or sill of a column |
| patart | old Flemish copper coin, a patard |
| patchcock | a mean fellow, clown (Spenser patchcocke) |
| patercove | thieves' cant, a hedge-priest |
| patibulate | to hang on a gibbet |
| patise | to compound or make terms with |
| patrizate | to take after one's father |
| patrollotism | US, jocular blend of patrol and patriotism |
| patruity | the relationship of a paternal uncle |
| pauperate | to impoverish, make a pauper of |
| pavade | obs., a dagger or knife (panade) |
| pavisado | a defense or screen of pavises |
| pavonize | to strut or display like a peacock |
| pavy | a clingstone peach, a pavie |
| peauder | obsolete form of pewter |
| peccation | the act of sinning |
| pedelion | old plant-name for the lady's mantle |
| peeke | obsolete spelling of peak |
| peisage | obs., toll paid for weighing goods |
| peiser | obs., an official weigher of goods |
| peletre | Middle English form of pellitory |
| pelterer | obs., a dealer in pelts, a furrier |
| penetral | an inner chamber or sanctuary |
| penide | obs., a stick of barley sugar, penides |
| penoun | pennon, a small flag |
| penseful | thoughtful, pensive |
| pensived | made pensive (Shakespeare, "pensived") |
| percoct | thoroughly cooked, overdone |
| percribrate | to sift thoroughly |
| percribration | a thorough sifting |
| perculsion | a striking down (L. percellere) |
| perculsive | striking down, having force to strike |
| percur | to run through or over |
| percurration | a running through or over |
| perejonet | perjeanet, an early variety of pear |
| perendinant | deferring to the day after tomorrow |
| perendination | a putting off to the day after tomorrow |
| perendure | to endure to the end, last through |
| perfay | ME oath, "by my faith" |
| perhazard | perchance, by hazard |
| permistion | a mingling or mixing together |
| pernavigate | to sail through or over |
| pernel | a priest's concubine, a wanton |
| perplication | a folding or interweaving together |
| perseity | scholastic, existence in and of itself |
| persentiscency | perception, the faculty of perceiving |
| perstand | to understand thoroughly |
| perten | to pertain or belong |
| perversite | obsolete form of perversity |
| perwick | obsolete form of periwig |
| pessoner | a fishmonger |
The other lists filed alongside this one.
