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RockRaven

(16,540 posts) Sun Nov 24, 2024, 10:42 PM Nov 24

Even as a middle-aged native American English speaker who reads a lot, I still [View all]

encounter words that I have never seen before (as far as I can remember).

Today's word, encountered in a detective novel from the 1930s, is "yclept" meaning "called" or "named"
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/yclept

Be honest, how many of you are saying "what, you've never seen that before?"

14 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Even as a middle-aged native American English speaker who reads a lot, I still [View all] RockRaven Nov 24 OP

After approximately 58 years of reading I've never come across yclept. MLAA Nov 24 #1

Nor have I, so I looked it up ailsagirl Nov 26 #12

I did not know what it meant dweller Nov 24 #2

Count me as someone whose doesn't remember seeing it. Ilikepurple Nov 24 #3

It's middle English, means "named." Ocelot II Nov 24 #4

Isn't it actually a Middle English word? Found in Canterbury Tales? LearnedHand Nov 25 #5

Good point. Even with regular words now escaping me, google has been helping to delay the inevitable. UTUSN Nov 25 #6

One thing I love about ebooks EverHopeful Nov 25 #7

Nope Figarosmom Nov 25 #8

It's middle English, using it in 1930 was already an anachronism. :) malthaussen Nov 25 #9

Collins Dictionary says it's in the lower 50 percent of words used in its listings. Different Drummer Nov 25 #10

I went to the barber. Yclept my hair, and was paid. n/t Harker Nov 25 #11

A First For Me ProfessorGAC Nov 26 #13

Yclept, Uclpet, Weclept, Theyclept etc. electric_blue68 Nov 26 #14