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 |
|---|---|
| heredipetous | legacy-hunting, seeking inheritances |
| heredipety | legacy-hunting |
| heregild | Old English heregeld, army-tax, heriot |
| heremeit | old spelling of hermit, heremite |
| hereright | adv., right here, on this very spot |
| hereupto | adv., up to this point, hereunto |
| hernsew | a heron, variant of hernshaw |
| heroid | a heroic epistle, after Ovid's Heroides |
| hersall | Spenserian, a rehearsal or recital |
| hewgh | interjection imitating a whizzing sound |
| heynne | heyne, a wretch or mean fellow |
| hiddels | ME hidels, a hiding-place, concealment |
| hidebind | verb, to make hidebound, to constrict |
| hieder | Middle English hider/hieder, hither |
| hinnible | obsolete, able to neigh |
| hithertills | archaic hither-tills, hitherto |
| hithertoward | archaic, up to this time or place |
| hoddypeak | obsolete, a blockhead or fool |
| hoggler | obsolete, a hired farm labourer |
| hogsteer | old hunting term, a wild boar in its third year |
| hokerer | obsolete, a scorner, from hoker, scorn |
| hokerly | obsolete, scornfully |
| hollock | obsolete, a kind of red wine |
| hontish | Middle English, shy, shamefaced |
| hontous | Middle English, shameful (Old French honteus) |
| hoplomachy | fighting in heavy armor; gladiatorial combat |
| hoppestere | Middle English, dancing (Chaucer's shippes hoppesteres) |
| hordarian | monastic officer in charge of stores |
| hordary | the office or storehouse of a hordarian |
| houndsfoot | a rascal, from German Hundsfott |
| hovedance | Middle English, a court dance |
| howgates | in what way, how (Middle English) |
| huffle | to blow in gusts; to bluster |
| hugmatee | old cant name for a strong drink |
| hulchy | humped, crooked (from hulch, a hump) |
| hulverhead | a blockhead (hulver, holly) |
| hulverheaded | blockheaded, stupid |
| hulwort | old plant name for poley germander, Teucrium |
| humaniformian | one ascribing human form to God, an anthropomorphite |
| huspel | to hustle, to handle roughly |
| huspil | var. of huspel, to maltreat |
| hylactic | barking, of a barking cough |
| hylactism | the barking of dogs |
| hylean | of the forest, sylvan (Greek hyle) |
| hymenaic | nuptial, pertaining to Hymen |
| hymnode | a singer of hymns (Greek hymnodos) |
| hypocrize | to play the hypocrite |
| hypoleptically | by way of supposition |
| hyrse | obs. spelling of hirse, millet |
| identific | obs., serving to identify |
| idleman | obs., an idler, a man of leisure |
| idlement | obs., idleness |
| idlety | obs., idleness |
| ignaw | ME i- + gnaw, gnawed |
| ignomious | obs. form of ignominious (cf. ignomy) |
| illect | obs., to allure or entice |
| illigation | obs., a binding or tying to |
| ilth | Ruskin's coinage, the opposite of wealth |
| imbellious | obs., unwarlike |
| imbreviate | obs. law, to enter in a brief or register |
| immerd | obs., to cover with dung |
| immiss | obs., to send or let in (cf. immission) |
| impack | obs., to pack in or together |
| impapyrate | obs., to set down on paper |
| impent | obs., pent in, shut up |
| imperfectious | obs., imperfect, defective |
| impestation | obs., infection with pestilence |
| impeticos | Shakespearean nonce word, to pocket |
| impetition | obs. law, impeachment (of waste) |
| importraiture | obs., a portraying, an image |
| importray | obs., to portray |
| impostumate | obs. medical, to form an abscess |
| impostumation | obs. medical, formation of an abscess |
| impotionate | obs., to dose with a potion |
| impreg | obs. poetic, to impregnate |
| imprejudice | obs., prejudice, harm |
| improlificate | obs., to impregnate, make fruitful |
| improof | obs., disproof, refutation |
| inaunter | ME "in aunter that", lest, in case |
| inbardge | obs., to put aboard a barge (embarge) |
| inbassat | obs. form of ambassade/embassy |
| inbe | obs., to be in, inhere |
| inbody | obs. form of embody |
| inbow | obs., to arch or vault inward |
| inbush | obs., to hide in a bush, ambush |
| incandent | obs., glowing hot, incandescent |
| incast | obs., something thrown in over measure |
| inchain | obs. spelling of enchain |
| inchpin | obs. hunting term, sweetbread of a deer |
| inclaudent | obs., not closing, never shut |
| incloude | obs. spelling of incloud/include |
| incoacted | obs., not forced or compelled |
| incomprehense | obs., incomprehensible, boundless |
| incompt | obs., unadorned, rude (L. incomptus) |
| inconcinn | obs., inelegant, unsuitable |
| inconcinnate | obs., wanting harmony or fitness |
| incornished | obs., furnished with a cornice |
| incourse | obs., a course or current inward |
| incruentous | obs., bloodless (L. incruentus) |
| incumbition | obs., act of lying or leaning upon |
The other lists filed alongside this one.
