Seldom-Used Words

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Most interesting, Og. Thanks for sharing it. I love how public has a k at the end and often the s is replaced by the f, both indicators of its age.

...

In 1666, there wasn't a nationally agreed standard of spelling. But most words that now end in a hard c like public, were often printed with -ck as the ending e.g. politick, aspick.

If you look very carefully, you can see that the f used as an s does not have the full crossing that an f has. The part of the crossing to the right isn't there.
 
In 1666, there wasn't a nationally agreed standard of spelling. But most words that now end in a hard c like public, were often printed with -ck as the ending e.g. politick, aspick.

If you look very carefully, you can see that the f used as an s does not have the full crossing that an f has. The part of the crossing to the right isn't there.

I always suspected that it was something to do with pronunciation.
English had only been printed for about 3 centuries and education does take time, what with religion and politics.
If Caxton had been a Yorkshireman and resident, we'd be speaking a different tongue all together.
 
In 1666, there wasn't a nationally agreed standard of spelling. But most words that now end in a hard c like public, were often printed with -ck as the ending e.g. politick, aspick.

If you look very carefully, you can see that the f used as an s does not have the full crossing that an f has. The part of the crossing to the right isn't there.

That k still survives in some forms, for example, in the verbal form politicking of the sometimes-verb Og gave above. As in "The congressmen weren't legislating; they were politicking." Those forms are probably to prevent the unwary from saying "politissing".

Hmmm. Would that last require a long s?

And the long s always reminds me of the "ye" in "ye olde ...". That isn't a "y"---even though it looks like one because "y" is the closest letter in the modern character set. It's a thorn; see the Wikipedia entry.
 
That k still survives in some forms, for example, in the verbal form politicking of the sometimes-verb Og gave above. As in "The congressmen weren't legislating; they were politicking." Those forms are probably to prevent the unwary from saying "politissing".

Hmmm. Would that last require a long s?

And the long s always reminds me of the "ye" in "ye olde ...". That isn't a "y"---even though it looks like one because "y" is the closest letter in the modern character set. It's a thorn; see the Wikipedia entry.

"Ye olde" really irritates me. It would have been said "The old" but the way it is signwritten means "You (plural familiar) old" . I'm likely to avoid any establishment that describes itself as "Ye Olde".
 
"Ye olde" really irritates me. It would have been said "The old" but the way it is signwritten means "You (plural familiar) old" . I'm likely to avoid any establishment that describes itself as "Ye Olde".

I suspect that there's more to it than that; the word Ye goes back to before English was a unified language, I believe.
 
"Ye olde" really irritates me. It would have been said "The old" but the way it is signwritten means "You (plural familiar) old" . I'm likely to avoid any establishment that describes itself as "Ye Olde".

Depends, I guess, on how good yeir beer is.

And how much yey want for it.
 
Now that is what I call a great conversation, gentlemen. I learned so much and all because I called the long S an F. It's mistakes like that which lead to a greater understanding of the language, thanks to the knowledge shared by you all.

pallium - noun 1.a. a draped rectangular cloth worn by men of ancient Greece and Rome as a cloak b. a white woolen band with pendants in front and back worn over the chasuble by a pope or archbishop as a symbol of full episcopal authority 2.a. the whole cerebral cortex b. the mantle of a mollusk, brachiopod, or bird
 
Madam Chairwoman,
I take the liberty of drawing your attention to that mentioned elsewhere on the Forum; to whit, some obsolete words which may have a modern use.

I do like "Wonder-wench."

:)
 
Madam Chairwoman,
I take the liberty of drawing your attention to that mentioned elsewhere on the Forum; to whit, some obsolete words which may have a modern use.

I do like "Wonder-wench."

:)

I think you meant "to wit", which is a phrase based on the archaic verb wit, meaning know. I wot (but many witen or wite) that it has an unpleasant conjugation, of which we need not speak further. Except, perhaps, to point out that wistful may well come therefrom—but not without the influence of wishful.

The word whit means "the smallest part or particle," as in "he cared not a whit".
 
I think you meant "to wit", which is a phrase based on the archaic verb wit, meaning know. I wot (but many witen or wite) that it has an unpleasant conjugation, of which we need not speak further. Except, perhaps, to point out that wistful may well come therefrom—but not without the influence of wishful.

The word whit means "the smallest part or particle," as in "he cared not a whit".

I stand corrected. I really must concentrate on improving my typing.
 
pallium - noun 1.b. a white woolen band with pendants in front and back worn over the chasuble by a pope or archbishop as a symbol of full episcopal authority.

As ordained ministers of the ULC (see other thread) I or Jeanne could order palliums, which they call stoles, from their store: http://www.ulc.net/index.php?page=shop&cat=38

The Universal Life Church allows us to call ourselves Archbishops if that's what we want. I prefer to be a loose Canon. Jeanne has larger ideas. She's a Goddess. I'm not sure what Goddesses wear. Probably their birthday suit.
 
As ordained ministers of the ULC (see other thread) I or Jeanne could order palliums, which they call stoles, from their store: http://www.ulc.net/index.php?page=shop&cat=38

The Universal Life Church allows us to call ourselves Archbishops if that's what we want. I prefer to be a loose Canon. Jeanne has larger ideas. She's a Goddess. I'm not sure what Goddesses wear. Probably their birthday suit.

I believe a goddess wears a pallium with both pendants in front.
 
A loose Canon, very funny, Og . Thanks for the laugh this morning.

Handley, thanks for posting the obsolete words here. I liked lunting, smoking a pipe while walking.

Carlus, thanks for explaining the difference between whit and to wit. Very nicely done.

Hi Tio!

palliate - vt 1. to reduce the violence of: ABATE 2. to cover by excuses and apologies: EXCUSE
 
palliate - vt 1. to reduce the violence of: ABATE 2. to cover by excuses and apologies: EXCUSE

It is more usual as an adjective palliative care, that is practised in Hospices for the terminally ill. My youngest daughter is a doctor specialising in palliative care.
 
That makes sense, Og, but I did find the second definition very interesting, too. Here is one you also might be familiar with;

pallette - noun one of the plates at the armpits of a suit of armor
 
Good day, posters. I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

palinode - noun 1. an ode or song recanting or retracting something in a former one 2. RETRACTION: esp: a formal retraction
 
It is going to be very hot today, so I am going to post here and get outside to water my thirsty plants, before they get heated up.

palfrey - noun archaic: a saddle horse other than a war-horse; esp: a light easy-gaited horse suitable for a woman
 
pooning - when you have to put a piece of cardboard or something under a table leg to stop it wobbling.
 
pallette - noun one of the plates at the armpits of a suit of armor

A pallette was to protect from being stabbed under the arm which was one of the weak points of plate armour.

But unless very well made, wearing a pallette could restrict the arm's movement, making the wearer vulnerable. Most suits of armour did not include a pallette, but had round pieces at the front of the shoulders instead.
 
palfrey - noun archaic: a saddle horse other than a war-horse; esp: a light easy-gaited horse suitable for a woman

A palfrey was a horse for travelling. Because a palfrey's gait was smooth and easy, the rider could cover considerable distances in a day. Good palfreys were expensive.

But there are few modern palfreys. Modern horses trot faster than a palfrey and the rider has to adapt.
 
A palfrey was a horse for travelling. Because a palfrey's gait was smooth and easy, the rider could cover considerable distances in a day. Good palfreys were expensive.

But there are few modern palfreys. Modern horses trot faster than a palfrey and the rider has to adapt.

I think the War-horse was called a Destrier
 
I think the War-horse was called a Destrier

Yes, but: Destrier was one of several types of war horse, the most expensive.

In modern values, think of the cost of an expensive throughbred sports car like a Maserati. Other war-horses would be the price of a Jaguar, or lesser ones a mid-range family car.

Equipping a knight with armour and a war horse was very expensive. Even outfitting a mounted man-at-arms would be beyond most people. Protracted warfare bankrupted kingdoms despite the small size of the armies.
 
Og and Handley, thank you very much for adding more information on types of horses. I would always prefer to ride an easy-gaited palfrey more than a fast trotter. I never liked trotting on a horse, but thoroughly enjoyed a good canter or a steady walk. Trotting always made me feel like my fillings were going to fall out of my teeth. My first full gallop with a jump at the end gave me a bit of a fright, as I recall. But nothing scared me as much as going down into the Grand Canyon on those god-forsaken mules they had back in the 60s, when I was a young girl! Anyone else remember those beasts of burden?

Here is a little more on a previous word;

palatine - noun 1.a. a high officer of an imperial palace b. a feudal lord having sovereign power within his domains 2. cap: a native or inhabitant of the Palatinate 3. a fur cape or stole covering the neck and shoulders
 
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