Archaism

Archaism, in art and literature, is the practice of using old fashioned style or words. It is the conscious use or imitation of archaic words, features, or styles.

In language, it is use of words and expressions that have become obsolete in common speech. It is employed in literature to achieve a specialized style.

Spenser employed archaism in his The Faerie Queene for revive the medieval chivalric romance.

The translators of the King James Version of the Bible gave weight, dignity and sonority to their prose by employing archaism.