10 Archaic Medical Terms from the Oxford English Dictionary That are Perfect for the COVID-19 Pandemic

For obvious reasons thoughts of illness, medicine, & bodily vulnerability have been running wild in my mind for a while now. I also have considerably more free time these days. Additionally, I really love digital archives and archaic vocabulary. So here we are. Here’s a small collage series I’ve made pairing rare/archaic medical terms I’ve found in my excavations of the Oxford English Dictionary and images culled from old public domain medical textbooks, newspapers, & literary works. All designs by me, paired with helpful sample sentences to get you started with incorporating these into your daily vocabulary. They also make great flashcards for the kids. Stay safe out there and be kind to each other.

1. Bechic

“The fear of being ostracized in the grocery store can be powerfully bechic.”

2. Enthetic

“In the grocery store I’m terrified that every surface carries an enthetic contagion”

3. Bordeaux Hammer

“The Zoom meeting in 5 minutes. I need to hide this Bordeaux Hammer.”

4. Medicaster

“The medicaster made unfounded claims about hydroxychloroquine’s effectiveness in treating COVID-19.”

5. Parablepsy

“The balancing Invisible Hand of the market is an utter parablepsy.”

6. Accoucheuse

“The accoucheuse and her fellow medical and medical-support staff selflessly continued to work during the pandemic.”

7. Rhea Sisters

“The Rhea Sisters don’t look much alike but they all go on spring break together every year.”

8. Elumbated

“The demagogue compensated for his elumbated condition by boasting and exaggerating at every turn.”

9. Chamber Lye

“The Federal response to the pandemic hasn’t been worth a bucket of warm chamber lye.”

10. Megrim

“Watching the tone-deaf, bumbling, and dishonest press conference gave the laid off worker a megrim.”