Sound & Diction

Archaism

AR-kay-iz-um / ˈɑːrkeɪɪzəm

Using words or forms that have become old-fashioned, such as “four score” or “thou.” They can evoke an earlier period or its literary traditions.

"Four score and seven years ago…" — Lincoln

Don't confuse it with Allusion. Allusion points to a specific prior text; archaism borrows a period's diction wholesale without citing anyone.

Examples

Thou shalt keep thy promise.

Practice example · written for this exercise

“Thou,” “shalt,” and “thy” are deliberately older English forms.