selcouth

From Middle English selcouth, from Old English selcūþ, seldcūþ (“unusual, unwonted, little known, unfamiliar, novel, rare”), from seld- (“rarely”) + cūþ (“known”); equivalent to seld +‎ couth.

• IPA^(key): /sɛlˈkuːθ/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

selcouth (comparative more selcouth, superlative most selcouth)

1. (now rare) Strange, unusual, rare; unfamiliar; marvellous, wondrous.
   • 1814, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe, Reprint edition, Penguin, published 2000, →ISBN, page 244:

     'A selcouth novelty,' muttered the knight, 'to advance to storm such a castle without pennon or banner displayed.'

   • 2002, Edward Cline, Sparrowhawk II: Hugh Kenrick‎ (Fiction), Digitized edition, MacAdam/Cage Pub., published 2011, →ISBN, page 318:

     The statements in either document are unique and selcouth.

   • 2007, Mark Youngblood Herring, “Caught in the Web”, in Fool's Gold: Why the Internet is no Substitute for a Library‎, McFarland, →ISBN, page 37:

     Left to its own devices and without the Web as a vehicle for misinforming others, the selcouth dogmas that forbade sexual relations ...

• (strange): bizarre, odd, weird; see also Thesaurus:strange
• (rare): infrequent, scarce, uncommon; see also Thesaurus:rare
• (wondrous): amazing, magnificent, stupendous; see also Thesaurus:awesome