Archaic Words

'Fortnight' means a period of two weeks (fourteen nights). It comes from the Old English 'feowertyne niht.' While archaic in American English, it is still commonly used in British English.

'Thee' is the archaic second person singular pronoun used as an object, equivalent to modern 'you.' For example, 'I love thee' means 'I love you.' 'Thou' was the subject form.

'Hither' means 'to this place' or 'here.' As in 'Come hither' meaning 'Come here.' It's related to 'thither' (to that place) and 'whither' (to which place).

'Fare thee well' is an archaic way of saying goodbye, literally meaning 'may you journey well' or 'may things go well with you.' It is the origin of our modern word 'farewell.'

'Morrow' means the following day or morning. 'Good morrow' was a common greeting meaning 'good morning.' Shakespeare used it frequently: 'Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.'

'Perchance' means 'perhaps' or 'by chance.' It is famously used in Shakespeare's Hamlet: 'To sleep, perchance to dream.' The word combines 'per' (through) and 'chance.'

'Forsooth' means 'in truth' or 'indeed.' It was used as an intensifier in Middle English. The word combines 'for' and 'sooth' (truth), so it literally means 'for truth.'

'Betwixt' is an archaic form of 'between.' The phrase 'betwixt and between' (meaning neither one thing nor the other) is sometimes still used today as a deliberate archaism.

'Ere' means 'before' in terms of time. As in 'ere long' (before long) or Shakespeare's 'Ere the bat hath flown' (before the bat has flown). It comes from Old English 'aer.'

'Prithee' is a contraction of 'I pray thee,' meaning 'please' or 'I ask you.' It was commonly used from the 16th to 18th centuries as a polite way to make a request.

'Verily' means 'truly,' 'certainly,' or 'in truth.' It comes from the Middle English 'verrai' (true), related to the Latin 'verus.' It appears frequently in the King James Bible.

'Sennight' means a week, literally 'seven nights.' Just as 'fortnight' means fourteen nights, 'sennight' was the Old English way of counting a week. It fell out of use by the 18th century.

'Anon' means 'soon' or 'shortly,' as in 'I'll be with you anon.' It comes from Old English 'on an' meaning 'in one (moment).' Despite looking similar, it is unrelated to 'anonymous.'

'Pottage' is an archaic word for a thick soup or stew, usually made with vegetables and sometimes meat. In the Bible, Esau famously sold his birthright for a 'mess of pottage.'

'Varlet' originally meant a young man serving as an attendant to a knight. Over time, its meaning shifted to mean a dishonest or unprincipled person — a rascal or rogue.