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 |
|---|---|
| montegre | heraldry, the man-tiger monster |
| mordicate | to bite or sting |
| morfounder | farriery, to chill or founder a horse |
| morinel | the dotterel, a small plover |
| mortalty | obs. form of mortality |
| mortancestry | law, the assize of mort d'ancestor |
| mortreux | ME, a thick pottage; = mortrews |
| mortrewes | ME, pottage of ground meat |
| mortuous | obs., dead, pertaining to the dead |
| mostdeal | obs., the greatest part, mostly |
| motatory | rare, constantly moving about |
| motitation | rare, frequent movement, twitching |
| mountee | falconry, the upward flight of a hawk |
| mowth | ME spelling of mouth |
| moyenant | obs., by means of (F. moyennant) |
| moyener | obs., a mediator or go-between |
| moyenless | obs., without means or resources |
| muchfold | obs., manifold |
| muckerer | obs., a miser, hoarder of muck (money) |
| muckibus | obs. slang, maudlin drunk |
| muckthrift | obs., a miser, money-grubber |
| mugience | obs., a bellowing or lowing |
| mugiency | obs., a bellowing or lowing |
| mugwet | obs., woodruff (F. muguet) |
| muliebrous | rare, womanly, effeminate |
| mumbudget | obs., silence, keeping mum |
| mundal | rare, of the world, mundane |
| murlemewes | obs. Sc., dainties or fanciful trifles |
| musardry | obs., idle musing, dreaming |
| mustulent | obs., abounding in must or new wine |
| mutinado | obs. (from Sp.), a mutineer |
| myropolist | obs., a dealer in unguents and perfumes |
| nable | obs. form of nabla, ancient Hebrew harp |
| naght | ME naght, naught, nothing |
| nagsman | one who rides horses for a dealer |
| naitly | obs./dial., neatly, fitly, aptly |
| nammo | ME nammo, no more |
| nasillate | obs., to speak through the nose, twang |
| nasillation | obs., nasal speech, a twang |
| naulage | obs., fare or freight for water passage |
| nausity | obs., nausea, squeamishness |
| navigerous | obsolete, ship-bearing (L. navis + -gerous) |
| necation | obsolete, a killing or slaying |
| needgates | obsolete, of necessity, needs must |
| nevermass | obsolete, a feast-day that never comes, never |
| niggot | obsolete form of ingot |
| nimbosity | obsolete, cloudiness or storminess |
| niminy | affected, mincing; from niminy-piminy |
| ningle | a familiar friend or minion (from mine ingle) |
| nivellation | surveying, the act of levelling |
| nivellator | one who or that which levels |
| nointment | aphetic form of anointment |
| noncome | a nonplus, a puzzle (Shak.) |
| nortelry | nurture, upbringing or education (ME nortelrie) |
| northen | obsolete form of northern |
| nossel | nozzle, socket of a candlestick |
| nostic | obsolete spelling of gnostic |
| notemigge | Middle English form of nutmeg |
| notemugge | Middle English form of nutmeg |
| nothous | spurious, bastard, illegitimate |
| notition | notice, knowledge (L. notitia) |
| nouche | a clasp or brooch (ME nouche, an ouch) |
| noughtily | naughtily, from obsolete noughty |
| noughtiness | naughtiness, from obsolete noughty |
| noughtly | worthlessly, in a good-for-nothing way |
| nousel | to nuzzle; to nurse or bring up |
| novelant | an innovator or newsmonger |
| nugament | a trifle, a worthless thing |
| numble | singular of numbles, a deer's entrails |
| nurry | a nursery, contracted form |
| obeish | to obey, ME obeishen |
| obfusk | to darken, obfuscate |
| oblocution | evil speaking, slander |
| obmit | obsolete form of omit |
| obnounce | Roman augury, to announce adverse omens |
| obnunciation | Roman augury, announcement of bad omens |
| obsede | to besiege, beset, L. obsidere |
| obtent | obtained; also a pretext |
| obtrect | to disparage, detract from |
| occursive | meeting, running to encounter |
| ochymy | obs. form of alchemy; a base silver-like alloy |
| oflete | a sacramental wafer, OE offlaete |
| ofthink | to repent of, to displease |
| oftly | often, frequently |
| olepy | obs., single, only (cf. onlepy) |
| oliprance | obs., ostentation, revelry |
| olympionic | obs., a victor at the Olympic games |
| onehow | obs., in one way or another |
| onewhere | obs., in one place |
| oneyer | obs., a great one (Shakespeare's oneyers) |
| onflemed | obs., banished, put to flight |
| onlepy | ME, only, single |
| onless | obs. form of unless |
| onocrotal | obs., the pelican |
| operary | obs., a workman; of labour |
| opiniastrety | obs., obstinacy (F. opiniatrete) |
| opiniater | obs., an obstinate person |
| opiniatreness | obs., obstinacy |
| optive | obs., optative, expressing a wish |
| orangeado | obs., candied orange, orangeade |
The other lists filed alongside this one.
