About Lexicophilia

Lexicophilia (originally Words and Phrases from the Past) features words and phrases, both from the past and present. The focus is on obsolete, obscure, rare, dialectal, and slang terms.

The words are listed alphabetically in the Dictionary and Reverse Dictionary.

Where there are multiple definitions in the Dictionary, they are first listed by part of speech, then by year.
In the Reverse Dictionary, they are listed by definition.

The blog, “Word of the Day” features a word from the dictionary, and shows their etymology and example(s).
(Clicking on a highlighted word in the Dictionary will take you to the blog page for that word.)

Words and phrases are constantly being added, as well as being edited (extra definitions, date changes, etc., including [muttered in a very quiet voice], the correcting of errors!).
So if a word isn’t currently here, it could quite possibly get added this very day, or tomorrow, or sometime soon! Keep checking back!

The Reverse Dictionary (a Thesaurus with definitions!), is a great way to find words by their definition.  Complete definitions are given so you can find the exact word you’re looking for.

E.G. Looking for a word for a clumsy person? Under Reverse Dictionary, click on “Reverse Index C”. Then click on the letter grouping where you would find ‘clumsy’. There you will find not only words for a clumsy person, but also any adjectives, nouns, or phrases that pertain to clumsiness. Instead of calling somebody a clumsy klutz, try ‘bumbersome bumblebug‘ for a change! 

​Please note that a number of the words are derogatory and may be offensive to some.
This is especially true of a number of the slang entries. But that’s what a lot of slang is – rude and vulgar.
So keep that in mind, and remember this is merely a record of such words.

Also note that the date, when shown, is of the earliest documented use of the word or phrase, and not when it was first used.
Also, the dates given in sources tend to vary, so the date shown should be regarded as being approximate.

I am still formatting both the Dictionary and Reverse Dictionary as I add new content. This will take a while to do. In the meantime, please bear with me while I work through over 4000+ pages!

Enjoy!