ancient
Use Ancient in a sentence
ʃənt adjective
1.
of or in time long past, especially before the end of the Western Roman Empire a.d. 476: ancient history.
2.
dating from a remote period; of great age: ancient rocks; ancient trees.
3.
very old; aged: an ancient folk tale.
4.
being old in wisdom and experience; venerable.
5.
old-fashioned or antique.
noun
6.
a person who lived in ancient times.
7.
one of the classical writers of antiquity.
8.
a very old or aged person, especially if venerable or patriarchal.
9.
ancients.
a.
the civilized peoples, nations, or cultures of antiquity, as the Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, and Egyptians (usually preceded by the ).
b.
the writers, artists, and philosophers of ancient times, especially those of Greece and Rome.
00:10
Ancient
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English auncien < Anglo-French; Old French ancien < Vulgar Latin *antiānus, equivalent to Latin ante(ā) before (see ante-) + -ānus -an; late Middle English forms with -t- developed by confusion with the present participle ending -nt (see -ent)
1300–50; Middle English auncien < Anglo-French; Old French ancien < Vulgar Latin *antiānus, equivalent to Latin ante(ā) before (see ante-) + -ānus -an; late Middle English forms with -t- developed by confusion with the present participle ending -nt (see -ent)
Related forms
an·cient·ness, noun
Synonyms
2, 3. Ancient, antiquated, antique, old-fashioned refer to something dating from the past. Ancient implies existence or first occurrence in a distant past: an ancient custom. Antiquated connotes something too old or no longer useful: an antiquated building. Antique suggests a curious or pleasing quality in something old: antique furniture. Old-fashioned may disparage something as being out of date or may approve something old as being superior: an old-fashioned hat; old-fashioned courtesy.
2, 3. Ancient, antiquated, antique, old-fashioned refer to something dating from the past. Ancient implies existence or first occurrence in a distant past: an ancient custom. Antiquated connotes something too old or no longer useful: an antiquated building. Antique suggests a curious or pleasing quality in something old: antique furniture. Old-fashioned may disparage something as being out of date or may approve something old as being superior: an old-fashioned hat; old-fashioned courtesy.
Antonyms
2, 3. new, modern.
2, 3. new, modern.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To Ancient
Collins
World English Dictionary
ancient1 (ˈeɪnʃənt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | dating from very long ago: ancient ruins |
| 2. | very old; aged |
| 3. | medieval Compare modern of the far past, esp before the collapse of the Western Roman Empire (476 |
| 4. | law having existed since before the time of legal memory |
| —n | |
| 5. | (often plural) a member of a civilized nation in the ancient world, esp a Greek, Roman, or Hebrew |
| 6. | (often plural) one of the classical authors of Greek or Roman antiquity |
| 7. | archaic an old man |
| [C14: from Old French ancien, from Vulgar Latin anteanus (unattested), from Latin ante before] | |
| 'ancientness1 | |
| —n | |
| ancient2 (ˈeɪnʃənt) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a flag or other banner; standard |
| 2. | a standard-bearer; ensign |
| [C16: changed from | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
ancient
mid-14c., auncyen, from O.Fr. ancien "old, long-standing, ancient," from V.L. *anteanus, adjectivization of L. ante "before, in front of, against" (from PIE *anti "against," locative singular of *ant- "front, forehead;" see ante). With parasitic -t 15c. by influence of words
in -ent. Specifically, in history, "belonging to the period before the fall of the Western Roman Empire" (and contrasted with medieval and modern). In Eng. law, "from before the Norman Conquest." Ancient of Days is from Dan. vii.9.
ancient
"standard-bearer," 1550s, a corruption of ensign. Archaic, but preserved in Shakespeare's character Aunchient Pistoll in "Henry V."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
Her academic interests were varied, from ancient civilizations and romance languages to neuroscience and cell biology.
If correct, the finding would suggest that the ancient poet had a surprisingly detailed knowledge of astronomy.
He now set out to compare what he had seen with the testimony of the ancient texts.
The national park has thousands of ancient archaeological sites.
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