A growing assortment of words and definitions used in the Early Modern era. See the Guide for more information.
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Word
Definition
Impinguate
To fatten. Latin in, in + pinguis, fat. Thus Gideon Harvey, in MORBUS ANGLICUS (1666) states that Rhenish wines do accidentally impinguate.
Rampike
A dead tree; especially, a spiky stump or stem of a tree. Hence rampick, decayed; bare. A glossary of 1881 spells the word raunpick, and explains it as "bare of bark or flesh, looking as if pecked by ravens" -- as though raun pick were converted from raven-peck. A ramp (15th to 18th century) was a vulgar, brazen female; Gideon Harvey in his LETTERBOOK (1573) speaks of An insatiable ramp Of Messalina's stamp; the second syllable is probably pike, a pointed staff. A rampallion was (a male ramp) a ruffian, scoundrel. A man all skin and bones is rampick indeed.
