#autological

seasons demonstrate their nature / an example haiku does the same

Is there a word for the type of word that is... well... when you wonder if there is a more specific word that more correctly captures what you are trying to convey, and you look it up and you find that, yes, there is indeed this more perfect word, but it is too technical, too archaic, too much like a more common word with the opposite meaning that you fear it might cause confusion, or is otherwise too non-understandable for you to actually use, so you find yourself stuck using the earlier, less perfect word for the sake of your reader not accidentally misunderstanding or not needing to pull out a dictionary?  A word that is not dead yet, but pretty much functionally extinct?  And you are left wishing that this word was a more realistic option, and wondering if maybe you should have used it anyway, perhaps in some vain attempt to resuscitate this dying word, or to, in some small way, increase public awareness of cartography jargon?