A Challenge of Old-Fashioned Proportions

Words, much like clothes, come into fashion all the time. You'll be surprised how many of the words we use now have fallen out of favor in other decades and centuries to make a triumphant return in modern day. The following 13 words are words that have indeed fallen out of use. Can you guess their meaning? Let's get you ready just in case these words make a comeback!
 
 
What does "scurrilous" describe?
Something said in order to solicit a bad opinion about someone
A battle-scarred veteran
How someone might describe a woman of low morals
Something said in order to describe someone who is sickly
 
 
What would one call "eventide"?
The end of the day; evening
The day of a special celebration
A birthday
The time of day when the tide comes in
 
 
Who would we describe as "barbigerous"?
An awful miser of a person
A well-muscled weightlifter
A person having a beard
A person acting in a barbaric fashion
 
 
What or who would we call "namelings"?
A group of people who are all named Josh
Things that have yet to be named
Animals that are very young
The immediate family members of a king
 
 
A person who is blithering is doing what?
Talking utterly and completely foolishly
Conning people out of their money
Mining for silver
Fixing metal objects; blacksmithing
 
 
A "pluviophile" is a person who loves...
Rainy days
The sun
Rainbows
The beach
 
 
When we "starrify" something or someone, we...
Decorate them with a stars or make them into celebrity stars
Commemorate them on a monument
Find shapes of them in the stars and call them constellations
Make them look like a five-pointed star
 
 
If I have "sophronised" you, what did I do to you?
Gave me moral principles and self-control
Condescended and then ignored me
Shut me out of the family
Backed me financially
 
 
When we speak of "Mullock", who or what are we talking about?
Rubbish, nonsense, or waste matter.
A thief or a robber who wears a mask
A plague-doctor
A large puddle of mud
 
 
Why on earth would we use a word like "uglyography"?!? What would we describe?
Bad handwriting; poor spelling
Incredibly rare and old books
Books of a certain anti-humanist philosophy
A special coded language made up by English children
 
 
A person who "guttles" is a person who does what?
They greedily gobble up stuff
They insult everyone around them
They mispronounce guttural words
They surrender all their belongings and rights
 
 
What the heck is a "welkin"?
The upper sky; the "vault" of heaven
A fairy-tale creature that steals little babies
One of the smallest types of rabbit
A well-behaved hound; a child-like pet
 
 
If something is "ephemeral", what does it say about it?
That it didn't last very long
That it was only half real
That it was see-through
That it was euphoric and blissful
 
More to learn...
Unfortunately, you did not pass this vocabulary test. It's not that you should start using these words in everyday conversations, so of course you wouldn't normally know them. But by looking at your mistakes you have expanded your lexicon with some mighty interesting words!
 
You passed!
You passed, but just barely, since you got less than half the answers right. You have some basic knowledge of these out-of-use words in the English language, but there is room for improvement. But by looking at your mistakes you have expanded your lexicon with some mighty interesting words! After all, the way we talk and think is predicated on our vocabulary. Having more ways to express ourselves is always a wonderful thing, and some of these words are really fun to know.
 
You did really well!
You have a vast vocabulary, definitely more extensive and more nuanced than most people. You may read a lot or used to read and still remember these very tricky and rare words. Having a big lexicon is a beautiful thing, allowing you to express yourself better, think more clearly, and define more correctly. You should be proud of your score! That said, you still had a few mistakes, so have a look at the answers to expand your personal dictionary even more.
 
You aced it!
Wow, you really have an extensive lexicon, don't you? You must read a lot! Or maybe you used to read a lot, and you still recall. In any case, your knowledge of the English language is much more extensive and more impressive than most people's, especially in these modern days, where it seems our ability to express ourselves in words has diminished. You must be really fun to have a conversation with. You aced this test!
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