Tudor & Stuart · insult · noun
Fustilarian
fuss-tih-LAIR-ee-un /ˌfʌs.tɪˈlæɹ.ɪ.ən/pronunciation given by a dictionary
First recordedc. 1597
c. 1597 (printed 1600)
A comic insult, apparently a one-off coinage: a fusty, stinking, low fellow. It seems to be built on 'fusty' (musty) or 'fustilugs' (a fat, frowzy person).
Where it was first recorded
William Shakespeare, Henry IV Part 2 (Quarto 1600; the Folio of 1623 spells it 'Fustillirian')
Also spelled: fustilirian, fustillirian, fastilarian
In its own time
Away, you scullion! you rampallion! You fustilarian! I'll tickle your catastrophe.
Today
Modern exampleOut of my kitchen, you fustilarian, and take your muddy boots with you!
Fine to use as a playful, theatrical insult; almost nobody will be offended because almost nobody will know it.
Questions
What does fustilarian mean?
A comic insult, apparently a one-off coinage: a fusty, stinking, low fellow. It seems to be built on 'fusty' (musty) or 'fustilugs' (a fat, frowzy person).
When was fustilarian first used?
It is first recorded c. 1597 (printed 1600) — William Shakespeare, Henry IV Part 2 (Quarto 1600; the Folio of 1623 spells it 'Fustillirian').
Can you still use fustilarian today?
Fine to use as a playful, theatrical insult; almost nobody will be offended because almost nobody will know it.
Sources
- Fustilarian — Murray's New English Dictionary (OED1), via WEHD
- A Glossary ... particularly Shakespeare and his contemporaries (new ed., vol. 1) — Robert Nares (1888 edition, archive.org)
- A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words (vol. 1) — J. O. Halliwell (1878 ed., archive.org)
- fustilarian — Wiktionary
- Henry IV Part 2 — The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (MIT)
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: rare — genuine, but marked rare, obsolete or archaic, or seldom recorded, in the dictionaries listed above