Ar"cha*ism (?), n. [Gr.
'archai:smo`s, fr. 'archai^os ancient, fr.
'archh` beginning: cf. F. archaïsme. See
Arch, a.] 1. An ancient,
antiquated, or old-fashioned, word, expression, or idiom; a word or form of
speech no longer in common use.
2. Antiquity of style or use;
obsoleteness.
A select vocabulary corresponding (in point of
archaism and remoteness from ordinary use) to our Scriptural
vocabulary.
De Quincey.