Post by: Eggcornista Found at: http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2265
Every now and then when reading, particularly an older book, I
come across a word that used to be very common but for whatever reason
has fallen out of favor. I’m not saying you never see them, but
they’re so rare that when you do read them, you notice. For the most
part, I’m not really talking about slang, mind you, which often has a
short shelf life. I’m talking about legitimate standard words that seem
to have faded a away.
Some happen because of technology changes (ditto, mimeograph).
Others occur because a word sounds suspiciously like a different,
offensive word (“niggardly,” meaning miserly or tightfisted, comes to
mind, though it should be noted the roots and meaning are nowhere near
the offensive word). Others, who knows?
Off the top of my head, here are a few words that seem to have lost favor with writers and/or readers:
Crestfallen (disappointed)
Cross (grumpy)
Chum (friend)
Glum (unhappy)
Davenport (a couch or sofa)
What words have collectively gone missing from current writings and/or speech that you have noticed?