Archaic

From Awe

Archaic is a word used to describe certain past styles or periods. It is usually a criticism, with connotations of 'old-fashioned'; although certain periods of art, such as the 'archaic period' of Greek statuary and pottery before the flowering of the classical greatness are highly esteemed and much desired by collectors.

In the field of language studies, archaic refers to a word, usage or other element of language that belongs to, or has characteristics of, an earlier period in time. This sometimes refers to usage that is obsolete but recognised by all mature native speakers, such as the Archaic personal pronouns like 'thou' and 'thee'. Sometimes it refers to the usages of particular individuals who may be old, or pretend to be old; or use archaic terms for a specific purpose. An example of such a purpose is poetry.

You may want to see the list of articles in the Category:Archaic English.