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 |
|---|---|
| petegreu | obsolete form of pedigree |
| petreity | scholastic, the quality of being stone |
| petrificate | to petrify |
| peytral | breast-armor of a war-horse |
| pezantic | peasant-like, from pezant = peasant |
| pheretrer | keeper of a shrine or feretory |
| philadelphy | brotherly love |
| philippizate | to take Philip's side; act in his interest |
| phitones | obsolete form of pythoness, a diviner |
| pickedly | obs., in a pointed or finical manner |
| pickthatch | obs., a brothel, from London's Pickt-hatch |
| piercent | obs., piercing, after French perçant |
| pillowber | obs., a pillow-case, pillowbere |
| pimperlimpimp | obs., jocular nonsense-word for a trifle |
| pinguedinous | obs., fatty, greasy |
| pinkany | obs., a term of endearment, darling |
| pinkeny | obs., a darling, small eye |
| pionery | obs., the work of pioneers or sappers |
| piperitious | obs., peppery, pungent |
| piraty | obs., piracy |
| pistler | obs., one who reads the epistle |
| planchment | a boarded floor or ceiling |
| plancier | the soffit or underside of a cornice |
| planity | flatness, a level plain |
| plaudation | applause, the act of applauding |
| playfere | playfellow |
| pleasantable | agreeable, pleasant |
| plebeity | the condition of the common people |
| plebicolar | courting the favor of the common people |
| plebicolous | courting the common people |
| plebificate | to make plebeian or common |
| pleniloquence | fullness of speech, talkativeness |
| plenity | fullness, plenty |
| plethoretical | plethoric, overfull of blood |
| plicable | capable of being folded, pliable |
| ploration | a weeping, lamentation |
| ploratory | given to weeping, lamenting |
| plumach | a plume or tuft of feathers |
| plungeon | old name for a diving bird, the didapper |
| plungy | rainy, wet |
| poculary | pertaining to cups or drinking |
| poignado | a poniard, dagger |
| poinado | a poniard, dagger |
| pointment | appointment, aphetic form |
| poisure | weight, poise |
| polleten | obsolete/Middle English form of pollute |
| polonick | obsolete spelling of Polonic, Polish |
| polychoerany | government by many rulers (Gk polykoiranie) |
| polypragmist | a busybody, meddler in many affairs |
| polypragmonic | meddlesome, busied in many affairs |
| polypragmonist | a meddler in many affairs |
| pomary | obsolete, an apple orchard |
| pommado | obsolete, a vault made by the pommel of a horse |
| pommet | obsolete, a knob or pommel, as on a cross |
| pompal | obsolete, pertaining to pomp, showy |
| ponier | obsolete form of poniard, a dagger |
| popeler | obsolete name of the spoonbill |
| poplesie | obsolete form of apoplexy |
| popocracy | US politics, rule by the Populist-Democrats |
| popocrat | US politics, a Populist-Democrat fusionist |
| porett | obsolete spelling of porret, a young leek |
| porkpen | obsolete form of porcupine |
| porry | obsolete, a leek pottage (L. porrum) |
| portglaive | obsolete, a sword-bearer |
| portglave | obsolete, a sword-bearer |
| portment | obsolete, bearing, demeanour |
| portmoot | obsolete, a borough court; portmote |
| portpayne | obsolete, a cloth for carrying bread to table |
| portsoken | obsolete, a franchise outside a town gate |
| porture | obsolete, bearing, carriage, demeanour |
| posthabit | to esteem less, put after (L. posthabere) |
| potestal | pertaining to power or authority (L. potestas) |
| pottern | used by potters, as in "pottern ore" |
| poundmeal | by the pound, pound by pound |
| pourprise | an enclosure or precinct (Anglo-French purprise) |
| poyntell | pointel, a stylus or pointed instrument |
| poyntill | pointel, a stylus or pointed instrument |
| pravous | crooked or perverse (L. pravus) |
| prebeleve | old spelling of prebelieve (beleve = believe) |
| precary | obs., held by entreaty, precarious (L. precarius) |
| preciation | obs., a valuing or appraisal (L. pretiare) |
| precony | obs., a herald's proclamation (L. praeconium) |
| prefract | stubborn, obstinate (L. praefractus) |
| prefulgence | resplendence, shining forth |
| prefulgent | very bright, resplendent |
| pregust | to taste beforehand (L. praegustare) |
| prenuncial | heralding, announcing beforehand |
| prenunciate | to announce or foretell beforehand |
| prenzie | Shakespeare crux, perh. precise or princely |
| preposter | preposterous, perverted, inverted |
| prereption | a snatching or taking away beforehand |
| prerupt | steep, abrupt, broken off (L. praeruptus) |
| preruption | a breaking off or bursting forth in front |
| presagient | foreboding, presaging (L. praesagiens) |
| presbytere | early spelling of presbytery, a priest's house |
| presidy | a garrison or defense (L. praesidium) |
| presul | obsolete, a president or prelate (L. praesul) |
| pretergress | obsolete, to pass beyond, transgress |
| preterience | obsolete, a passing by or beyond |
| preterlabent | obsolete, gliding or flowing past |
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