Archaic lexis
Vocabulary from earlier historical periods that is rarely used in contemporary language. Archaic words persist in certain contexts (literary, religious, legal) and signal period, style, or formality.
Real World
The King James Bible (1611) preserved archaisms like 'thou', 'thee', and 'hath' long after they had faded from everyday speech, lending its language a sense of divine authority and timelessness still recognised today.
Exam Focus
Comment on why an author chooses archaic lexis — period authenticity, elevated register, irony — not simply that the word is 'old-fashioned'.
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