Archaize

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɑː(ɹ).keɪˌaɪz/

Definitions

1. To employ elements from an earlier period in written or spoken forms To imbue contemporary expressions with characteristics of past styles To transform modern language by integrating outdated forms or vocabulary
2. To adopt words or styles from an earlier time period in speech or writing
3. To give modern language an old-fashioned character by incorporating ancient or obsolete elements

Etymology: The verb "archaize" comes straight from Ancient Greek "arkhaḯzō", meaning "to imitate the ancient style" or "to follow ancient ways," built from "arkhaîos" (ancient, old), which itself goes back to "arkhḗ" (beginning, origin). The Greek word was a verb describing the deliberate copying of older manners, and English took the idea over with its meaning intact: to write or speak in a deliberately old-fashioned manner. The Greek root is also the source of familiar English words such as "archaic" and "archive," which show how strongly the notion of "beginning" and "age" runs through the family. "Archaize" keeps the sense of conscious imitation rather than simply being old, so a writer who uses "thee" and "hath" in a modern novel is archaizing, not merely being archaic.

Synonyms: antiquate, outdate

Antonyms: modernize, update