30 English ‘Lost Words’ Discovered by Researchers

We’re passionate about language here at For Reading Addicts, without it we wouldn’t have all the wonderful literature we do. From obsolete words to words in other languages that don’t translate, we love a good language story and what follows is the best of ‘good language stories’. Researchers have discovered 30 undocumented ‘lost’ words, that is words that have fallen from use and are no longer recorded in the dictionary.

Dominic Watt, senior linguistics lecturer at the University of York, and his tem have spent three months digging through old books and dictionaries to compile the list and believes many of them could now see a revival as they are still relevant to today’s society.

Language and the creation of languages is fascinating, particularly English thanks to its French and German influences, and these words give a fascinating snippet of times gone by. Here’s a round up of them all, along with definitions.

Ambodexter

One who takes bribes from both sides

Betrump

To deceive, cheat, elude, slip from.

Awhape

To amaze, stupefy with fear, confound utterly

Coney-catch

To swindle, cheat, trick, dupe, deceive.

Fumish

Inclined to fume, hot-tempered, irascible, passionate

Hugge

To shudder, shrink, shiver, or shake with fear or with cold

Hugger-mugger

Concealment, secrecy.

Losenger

A false flatterer, a lying rascal, a deceiver

Man-millinery

Suggestive of male vanity or pomposity

Merry-go-sorry

A mixture of joy and sorrow

Momist

A person who habitually finds fault; a harsh critic

Nickum

A cheating or dishonest person

Parget

To daub or plaster (the face or body) with powder or paint

Peacockize

To behave like a peacock, to pose or strut ostentatiously

Percher

A person who aspires to a higher rank or status; an ambitious or self-assertive person

Quacksalver

A person who dishonestly claims knowledge of or skill in medicine; a pedlar of false cures.

Rouker

A person who whispers or murmurs; one who spreads tales or rumours

Rouzy-bouzy

Boisterously drunk

Ruff

To swagger, bluster, domineer. To ruff it out or to brag or boast of a thing

Sillytonian

A silly or gullible person, one considered as belonging to a notional sect of such people

Slug-a-bed

One who lies long in bed through laziness

Snout-fair

Having a fair countenance; fair-faced, comely, handsome

Stomaching

Full of malignity, given to cherish anger or resentment

Swerk

To be or become dark, gloomy, troubled, or sad

Wasteheart

Used to express grief, pity, regret, disappointment, or concern

Wlonk

Proud, haughty, rich, splendid, fine, magnificent

Teen

To vex, irritate, annoy, anger, enrage, to inflict suffering upon

Tremblable

Causing dread or horror