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 |
|---|---|
| argin | a bank or earthen rampart |
| argolet | a light-armed horseman |
| arguitively | argumentatively, by way of argument |
| arietinous | resembling a ram or ram's head |
| armary | an ambry or cupboard |
| armisonous | resounding with arms or weapons |
| arnement | Middle English, ink |
| arrace | to tear away, snatch (OF arachier) |
| arrent | to let out at a rent |
| arrode | to gnaw away (L. arrodere) |
| arsmetik | Middle English, arithmetic |
| arsmetry | Middle English, arithmetic |
| arthel | Welsh law, to avouch/warrant stolen cattle |
| artilize | to render artful or artificial |
| artiller | an artilleryman or maker of artillery |
| artou | Middle English artow, "art thou" |
| asale | on sale, for sale |
| asarta | an assart, land cleared of wood |
| ascape | to escape (aphetic Middle English form) |
| ascare | to scare, frighten |
| ascry | to descry; to proclaim |
| asfast | Middle English, at once, immediately |
| asidehand | sideways, obliquely, indirectly |
| asiden | Middle English, on the side, aside |
| asmalte | obsolete form of smalt, enamel |
| aspergation | a sprinkling, aspersion |
| asperite | roughness, asperity |
| aspern | to spurn, despise (L. aspernari) |
| assaugement | obsolete form of assuagement |
| assausive | obsolete form of assuasive, soothing |
| asseal | to seal, confirm by seal |
| asseize | to seize upon, take possession of |
| assentatious | obsequiously assenting, flattering |
| asseour | an assessor of taxes (OF asseour) |
| asserve | to keep, preserve (L. asservare) |
| asservilize | to reduce to servility |
| assessory | pertaining to an assessor |
| assewer | one who drains (ME assewe, to drain) |
| assidual | assiduous, constant |
| assobre | to sober, make calm (OF assobrir) |
| assoin | to excuse; obsolete form of essoin |
| assuade | obsolete form of assuage |
| assummon | to summon |
| astert | Middle English, to escape; to startle |
| astint | Middle English, to stop, restrain |
| astond | to astonish, stun (Spenser) |
| astrer | old law, a householder, hearth-holder |
| astrier | old law, householder (var. of astrer) |
| astrion | a gem described by Pliny |
| astrofel | Spenser's herb astrofel |
| astrofell | variant of astrofel, Spenser's herb |
| astutious | astute, cunning |
| asweve | ME, to lull to sleep, stupefy |
| aswithe | ME, immediately, very quickly |
| aswooned | in a swoon, swooning |
| aswough | ME, in a swoon |
| atafter | ME, after, afterward |
| atechny | want of skill or art |
| athamaunte | ME spelling of adamant |
| athink | ME, to repent, cause regret |
| athold | ME, to retain, hold back |
| athrive | to thrive |
| athrough | through, throughout |
| atrenne | ME, to outrun |
| atry | nautical, lying to in a gale |
| atteal | obsolete name for the teal duck |
| atterminal | old law, of postponement to a term |
| attermine | old law, to put off to a fixed term |
| attourne | obsolete spelling of attorn |
| atturn | obsolete spelling of attorn |
| atwin | ME, apart, in twain |
| auctary | an increase, an addition |
| audiencer | old law, officer of the court of audience |
| aumail | to enamel, variegate (Spenser) |
| auntre | ME, adventure; to venture |
| aureal | golden, of gold |
| auspicy | augury, divination by birds |
| autexousy | theology, free will, self-determination |
| avanters | fore-part of a deer's neck, butcher's cut |
| avantlay | hunting, a relay of hounds set in advance |
| avarish | avaricious |
| avell | to pluck or tear away |
| avelonge | oblong or slanting (var. of avelong) |
| avenary | of oats; a rent paid in oats |
| avenery | office of the avener, keeper of the oats |
| avern | poetic form of Avernus, the infernal lake |
| avilement | debasement, degradation |
| avitic | ancestral, of a grandfather |
| avocatory | recalling, as letters of recall |
| avour | avowal, acknowledgment |
| avoure | avowal, acknowledgment |
| avouter | adulterer |
| avowe | to avow; also a patron or advocate |
| avowter | adulterer (var. of avouter) |
| aworth | in good part, as in "take aworth" |
| ayens | Middle English, again, against |
| ayne | law French, eldest, first-born (eigne) |
| aywhere | anywhere |
| backbear | forest law, to carry on the back |
| backberand | forest law, caught bearing stolen goods |
The other lists filed alongside this one.
