archaic

archaic
—archaically, adv.
/ahr kay"ik/, adj.
1. marked by the characteristics of an earlier period; antiquated: an archaic manner; an archaic notion.
2. (of a linguistic form) commonly used in an earlier time but rare in present-day usage except to suggest the older time, as in religious rituals or historical novels. Examples: thou; wast; methinks; forsooth.
3. forming the earliest stage; prior to full development: the archaic period of psychoanalytic research.
4. (often cap.) pertaining to or designating the style of the fine arts, esp. painting and sculpture, developed in Greece from the middle 7th to the early 5th century B.C., chiefly characterized by an increased emphasis on the human figure in action, naturalistic proportions and anatomical structure, simplicity of volumes, forms, or design, and the evolution of a definitive style for the narrative treatment of subject matter. Cf. classical (def. 6), Hellenistic (def. 5).
5. primitive; ancient; old: an archaic form of animal life.
[1825-35; ( < F) < Gk archaïkós antiquated, old-fashioned, equiv. to archaî(os) old + -ikos -IC]

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  • Archaic — may refer to a period of time preceding a classical period :*List of archaeological periods **Archaic period in Greece **Archaic period in the Americas **Early Dynastic Period of Egypt *Archaic Homo sapiens, people who lived about 300,000 to… …   Wikipedia

  • archaic — [är kā′ik] adj. [Gr archaikos < archaios, old, ancient < archein, begin] 1. belonging to an earlier period; ancient 2. antiquated; old fashioned 3. that has ceased to be used except for special purposes, as in poetry, church ritual, etc.… …   English World dictionary

  • Archaic — Ar*cha ic, a. [Gr. archai:ko s old fashioned, fr. archai^os ancient.] Of or characterized by antiquity or archaism; antiquated; obsolescent. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • archaic — I adjective ancient, antediluvian, antiquated, extinct, fossilized, medieval, obsolescent, obsolete, old, old fashioned, old world, outdated, outmoded, passe, prehistoric, primitive, superannuated, time worn II index antique, obsolete, old …   Law dictionary

  • archaic — (adj.) 1810, from or by influence of Fr. archaique (1776), ultimately from Gk. arkhaikos old fashioned, from arkhaios ancient, from arkhe beginning (see ARCHON (Cf. archon)). Archaical is attested from 1799 …   Etymology dictionary

  • archaic — obsolete, antiquated, antique, *old, ancient, antediluvian, venerable Antonyms: up to date Contrasted words: fresh, novel, *new, newfangled, new fashioned, modern, modernistic: fashionable, modish (see STYLISH) …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • archaic — [adj] very old ancient, antiquated, antique, bygone, obsolete, olden, old fashioned, outmoded, out of date, passé, primitive, superannuated; concepts 578,797 Ant. current, modern, new, present, young …   New thesaurus

  • archaic — ► ADJECTIVE 1) belonging to former or ancient times. 2) old or in an old fashioned style. DERIVATIVES archaically adverb. ORIGIN Greek arkhaios ancient …   English terms dictionary

  • archaic — [[t]ɑː(r)ke͟ɪɪk[/t]] ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n Archaic means extremely old or extremely old fashioned. ...archaic laws that are very seldom used... Archaic practices such as these are usually put forward by people of limited outlook. ...archaic… …   English dictionary

  • archaic — 1. noun /ɑɹˈkejɪk/ A general term for the prehistoric period intermediate between the earliest period (‘[ …   Wiktionary

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