473 Archaic or obscure King James era (Middle English) words explained

A

• abase
• abated
• abhor
• abjects
• ablution
• abode
• abomination
• acceptation
• acquit
• adamant
• adjure (adjuration)
• admonish
• advertise
• advisement
• advocate
• affinity
• afflictions
• affording
• affright
• afoot
• afore
• afresh
• agone
• ague
• alamoth
• albeit
• all to
• alleluia
• allow
• alms
• aloof
• ambassage
• ambushment
• amen
• amerce
• amiable
• amiss
• anathema
• apothecary
• apparel
• art (= are)
• Ariel
• ark
• artificer
• artillery
• asketh (= asks)
• asp
• astonied
• atonement
• availeth (= avails; profits; benefits)

B

• babe
• backbite
• backslide
• bake-meats
• balm
• basilisk
• battlement
• becamest (= became)
• bed-chamber
• bedstead
• beseech (= ask or beg someone urgently and fervently to do something; to request earnestly)
• beseech (to implore urgently, to beg eagerly)
• beeves
• behead
• behemoth
• besought (Luke 7:4) (past tense of beseech; meaning to implore urgently, to beg eagerly)
• bestead
• betroth
• bewray
• bier
• bit
• bitumen
• blains
• blasphemy
• bless (blessed)
• blot
• bolled
• bolster
• booty
• bosom
• bosses
• botch
• brake (= broke)
• bowels
• bramble
• bravery
• breach
• breastplate
• breeches
• brigandine
• brimstone
• bruit
• buckler
• buildest (= build)
• bullock
• bulrush
• bulwarks
• by
• by and by
• by-ways
• by-word

C

• cabins
• calkers
• calleth (= calls)
• camphire
• canker
• cankerworm
• canon
• canst (= can)
• carbuncle
• carnal
• carriage
• casement
• caul
• cauls
• causeth (= causes)
• centurion
• chambering
• chamberlain
• chamois
• channel
• chapiter
• charger
• charity
• chode
• choler
• churl
• cloke (= cloak)
• coat of mail
• cockatrice
• cockle
• coffer
• cogitations
• comeliness (attractive; loveliness; having a pleasing appearance; giving pleasure to the senses)
• cometh (= comes)
• committeth (= commits)
• compass, compassed (= encircle, surround / occurences in KJV)
• concision
• concubine
• concupiscence
• confection
• confectionaries
• consecration (consecrate)
• conversation
• corn
• cornet
• cotes
• couldest (= could)
• coulter
• countenance (= a person’s facial expression or facial appearance)
• coveredst (= covered)
• covetousness (covet)
• crisping-pin
• cruse
• cubit
• cummin
• curious arts

D

• dale, the king’s
• dam (= the female parent of a domestic animal (sheep, goats) or of any 4-legged animal)
• damnation
• daysman
• dayspring
• deal
• dearth
• deckedst (= decked; decorated)
• diadem
• didst (= did)
• dieth (= dies)
• distaff
• divers (= diverse; several; of varying types)
• divination
• doleful creatures
• doth (= does, or do)
• dowry
• dram
• draught-house
• dregs
• dropsy
• dross
• duke
• dumb
• dwelleth (= dwells; lives in)

E

• earing
• earnest
• emerods
• emulations (= jealousy or envyings)
• enchantments
• enmity
• ensign
• ephah
• ephod
• epistles
• ere (= before)
• err (= to make a mistake; to be mistaken or incorrect)
• eschew
• espouse
• eunuch
• euroclydon

F

• fairs
• fallow-ground
• familiar spirit
• fan
• farthing
• fast
• fat
• fatling
• feller
• fens
• fillets
• finer
• fining pot
• firebrand
• firkin
• firmament
• fitches
• flag
• flagon
• flesh-hook
• floweth (= flows)
• flux (Acts 28:8) = dysentery (Greek: δυσεντερία —transliteration: dusenterion)
• fodder
• fold
• forgat (= forgot)
• fornication
• forswear (= to give up; to reject or renounce under oath)
• forthwith (= immediately; at once; without delay)
• fowler
• fretted (= )
• frontlets
• froward (frowardly)
• fuller
• fuller's field
• fuller's soap
• furlong

G

• gall
• garner / garners
• garnish
• garrison
• gat (= got, past tense of get)
• ghost
• gin
• girdle (girt)
• givest (= give)
• glean
• glede
• goad
• goeth (= go; goes; went)
• goodly trees
• Gospel
• graven image
• graving
• greaves
• grizzled (grisled)
• grove

H

• habergeon
• haft
• hallow
• halt
• handbreadth
• hearken (= pay attention; listen)
• harlot
• harrow
• Harsha
• hast (= have)
• hart
• hath (= has, the singular of have)
• he-ass
• helpeth = helps
• hireling
• hire (= the wages or earnings of a harlot / Hebrew word: ethnan)
• hirest (= bribe; to give a present / Hebrew word: shachad)
• holpen
• hose
• hough
• howbeit (= however; nevertheless)
• husband
• husbandman

I

• imputation (impute)
• incarnation
• inkhorn
• intercession

J

• jot
• justification

K

• kine
• kinsman, kin, kindred
• knop
• know or knew (in addition to the normal meaning, in the KJV these words can be a euphemism for sexual intercourse, based on the context)
• knowest (= know)
• knoweth (= know, or knows)

L

• lascivious
• latchet
• laver
• leasing
• lees
• lest (for fear that —indicating the intention or concern of preventing something undesirable)
• leaveneth (= leavens)
• liveth (= lives)
• longsuffering (aka long-suffering) (to suffer a long time without snapping; hardship or abuse being suffered, yet without complaining or taking or seeking retaliation or revenge; patient endurance of pain or unhappiness
• lothed (= loathed; hated; strongly disliked)
• lotheth (= loathes; hates; strongly dislikes)
• lintel
• lot
• low
• lucre
• lusteth (= lusts)

M

• madest (= made)
• makest (= make)
• maketh (= makes)
• mammon
• mantle
• Maranatha
• maul
• mayest (= may)
• mess
• mincing
• mine (= my)
• mite
• mitre
• morrow (= the following day)
• mote
• mufflers
• murrain
• musick (= music)

N

• nay (= no)
• necromancer
• nigh (= near in place, time, or relationship)
• nitre

O

• obeisance
• oblation (= a thing presented or offered to God; the act of making an offering to God)
• offereth (= offers)
• oracle
• ouches
• ox goad

P

• palmer-worm
• palsy
• parbar
• passion
• peculiar
• penny
• peradventure (= perhaps; possibly —indicated doubt or uncertainty)
• phylacteries
• pitch
• playedst (= played)
• pommels
• post (person)
• potsherd
• pottage
• Potters field
• pound
• pouredst (= poured)
• propitiation
• proselyte
• psaltery
• publican
• pulse

Q

• quaternion

R

• railer
• raiment (meaning: clothing, garments)
• rememberest (= remember)
• rent
• revelling (= carousing)
• rie
• road
• reins
• reprobate
• rereward
• road
• rue

S

• sabbath
• sackbut
• saith (= says)
• sanctification (sanctify)
• Satan
• satyr
• scapegoat
• scourging (scourge)
• scrip
• seditions (= dissensions; divisions)
• seethe
• seething pot
• selfsame (= identical; exactly the same)
• sendeth (= sends)
• sepulchre
• servitor
• shalt (= shall)
• sheriffs
• shew / shewed (= show / showed)
• shod (wearing footgear, such as sandles or shoes)
• signet
• slain (= killed in a violent way; slayed)
• slew (= killed in a violent way; slayed)
• smite (to strike sharply or heavily, especially with the hand or a handheld weapon; may result in death or severe injury)
• standest (= stand; standing)
• smote (= struck sharply or heavily — past tense of “smite”
• soever (whomsoever; at all; in any kind; of any kind; to any possible or known extent)
• sojourner (= a temporary resident)
• soothsayer
• sop
• spake (= spoke, past tense of “speak”)
• speakest (= speak
• speaketh (= speaks, or speak)
• spunge (= sponge)
• stead (= in place of someone)
• stomacher
• stay (as in Isaiah 3:1 KJV = supply)
• subscriptions
• supple (= cleanse)

T

• tabering
• tablet
• taches
• taketh (= took)
• tale
• talent
• target
• tarry (= stay; delay)
• tarried (= stayed longer than intended; delayed leaving a place)
• teareth (= to tear, to lacerate, to rip)
• teiltree
• temperance (= self-control)
• tenth deal
• testament
• thee
• thence (= from there; from that place time)
• thenceforth {= from that time}
• thine
• thither (= there; to that place)
• thou
• thy
• thyself (= yourself)
• tidings (= news, usually important)
• tires
• tithe
• tookest (= took)
• toucheth (= touches)
• tow
• trodden (= tread; walked; stepped; past particple of “tread”)
• troubleth (= troubles or disturbs)

U

• uncleanness (= impurity)
• unction
• usury

V

• vagabond
• variance (= strife)
• verily
• vesture (= clothing; a covering garment; apparel)
• victuals (= food or provisions)

W

• ward
• wast (= were)
• watches
• watchings
• water of jealousy
• wax
• waxen (= grew)
• wen (= a cyst or other abnormal protruding growth)
• whence (= from what place, source, or cause)
• wherewith (= how, with what, or with which)
• whet
• wilt (= will)
• whoso (= whoever)
• whosoever (= whoever; whatever person)
• wimple
• winefat
• winnow
• worketh (= works)
• wont (accustomed / one’s habitual way of doing)
• wot (= know or realize / Acts 3:17; Philippians 1:22; Genesis 21:26; Genesis 44:15; Acts 7:40; Romans 11:2)
• wotteth not (= does not know or not concerned / Genesis 39:8)
• wroth
• wrought (= brought into being; made; done; fashioned; worked into shape by effort)
• wouldest (= would)
• wrath (= outburst of anger; fit of rage)

Y

• ye
• yea (= yes)
• yoke
• yoke-fellow

Z

(none)