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 |
|---|---|
| iworth | ME i-worth, to become or befall |
| iwound | ME i-wound, wounded |
| iwurche | ME i-wurche, to work or make |
| iwurthen | ME i-wurthen, become |
| jaconace | ME variant of jacounce, the jacinth gem |
| jacounce | Middle English name for the jacinth gem |
| jargogle | to confuse, jumble (Locke) |
| jazeran | a light medieval coat of mail (jazerant) |
| jernie | archaic oath, from French "je renie" |
| jert | a jerk or stroke |
| jewis | ME jewise, judgment or punishment |
| jocatory | jesting, jocular |
| jollitry | archaic form of jollity, mirth |
| jollyhead | ME, jollity (-head = -hood) |
| joubarb | old name for the houseleek |
| journ | a day, a day's work (Fr. jour) |
| jovy | obsolete form of jovial |
| jubartas | old name for the humpback whale |
| judical | obsolete form of judicial |
| juncat | obsolete form of junket, a delicacy |
| junctly | obsolete, jointly |
| jupard | ME form of jeopard, to imperil |
| justico | a close-bodied coat (Fr. justaucorps) |
| justment | adjustment, settlement |
| kankedort | Chaucer, a critical or awkward situation |
| keyserlick | imperial, from German kaiserlich |
| kinboot | kinbote, compensation paid to a slain man's kin |
| kinbot | kinbote, compensation paid to a slain man's kin |
| kipage | equipage |
| knabble | to nibble or gnaw |
| knarle | a knot or gnarl in wood |
| knet | past participle of knit, knitted |
| kousin | old spelling of cousin |
| lactarious | obs., milky, yielding milk |
| lactifical | obs., producing milk |
| lacuscular | obs., of or belonging to pools or lakes |
| laetation | obs., a manuring or enriching of soil |
| laetic | hist., of the laets, a semi-free class |
| lamback | obs., to beat or thrash |
| lancegaye | obs., lancegay, a light spear |
| lanceprisado | obs., lancepesade, a lance corporal |
| landfang | obs. law, seizure, land + fang, to take |
| langteraloo | obs., lanterloo, the card game loo |
| lanific | obs., working in wool |
| lapidifical | obs., having power to turn into stone |
| larcinry | obs., larceny, theft, from F. larcin |
| larderie | obs., a larder or the larderer's office |
| largeour | obs., liberality, bounty, largess |
| largeous | obs., large, bulky |
| laschety | laxity, slackness, cowardice (OF lascheté) |
| latewhile | lately, a while ago |
| latewhiles | lately, of late |
| latibule | a hiding place, lair (L. latibulum) |
| latomy | a stone quarry (L. latomiae) |
| latrede | Middle English, slow of counsel, dull |
| laureole | spurge-laurel (Daphne laureola); a laurel crown |
| lavacre | a laver, bath or font (L. lavacrum) |
| lavament | a wash or lotion |
| laweour | Middle English form of lawyer |
| layner | a whiplash or thong (F. lanière) |
| lazary | a lazar-house, leper hospital |
| lazule | azure, the blue of lapis lazuli |
| lectuary | aphetic form of electuary |
| legister | Middle English legister, a lawyer or legist |
| leguleious | pettifogging, lawyer-like (L. leguleius) |
| lemonado | early form of lemonade |
| lentiner | falconry, a hawk taken during Lent |
| lepidity | pleasantness, jocosity (L. lepidus) |
| lepidly | pleasantly, wittily |
| lesed | Middle English, lost or injured (pp. of lese) |
| letgame | a hinderer of sport, a spoilsport |
| letuare | Middle English letuarie, an electuary |
| levance | law, rising up of cattle; cf. levancy and couchancy |
| levancy | law, the rising up of cattle (levancy and couchancy) |
| leviation | the act of making light, alleviation |
| lewty | loyalty, fidelity (ME lewte) |
| libard | leopard (archaic libbard) |
| libellate | to libel; also one holding a libellus |
| licham | the body, the corpse (OE lichama) |
| liegier | a resident ambassador (leiger) |
| liflod | livelihood, sustenance (ME liflode) |
| ligurition | daintiness or greediness in eating |
| limphault | limping, halt |
| literated | lettered, learned |
| littlewale | old name for gromwell (lithewale) |
| livelihead | liveliness, life, vitality |
| liverance | delivery, deliverance (ME liveraunce) |
| lizary | madder root, alizari |
| loadum | an old card game, losing loadum |
| lochetic | obs., lying in wait, ambushing |
| lodeman | obs., a pilot or steersman |
| lofstelle | obs., an old measure of land |
| loofness | obs., aloofness, keeping to windward |
| lopeman | obs., a runner or footman (lope, to run) |
| lopeskonce | obs., a small fort or sconce (Du. loopschans) |
| loquence | obs., eloquence, speech |
| loquency | obs., talkativeness |
| loquent | obs., speaking, talkative |
| lordswike | obs., a traitor to one's lord |
| lormery | obs., lorimer's work, horse-bit metalwork |
The other lists filed alongside this one.
