Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

ancient

 - 6 dictionary results

an⋅cient

1  [eyn-shuhnt]
Use ancient in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of or in time long past, esp. 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, esp. if venerable or patriarchal.
9. ancients,
a. the civilized peoples, nations, or cultures of antiquity, as the Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, and Egyptians (usually prec. by the).
b. the writers, artists, and philosophers of ancient times, esp. those of Greece and Rome.
Origin:
1300–50; ME auncien < AF; OF ancien < VL *antiānus, equiv. to L ante(ā) before (see ante- ) + -ānus -an; late ME forms with -t- developed by confusion with the prp. 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 Old-fashioned may disparage something as being out of date or may approve something old as being superior: an old-fashioned hat; old-fashioned courtesy.

Antonyms:
2, 3. new, modern.

an⋅cient

2  [eyn-shuhnt]
–noun Obsolete.
1. the bearer of a flag.
2. a flag, banner, or standard; ensign.
Origin:
1545–55; var. of ensign by confusion with ancient 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To ancient
an·cient 1   (ān'shənt)   
adj.  

  1. Of great age; very old.

  2. Of or relating to times long past, especially those of the historical period before the fall of the Western Roman Empire (A.D. 476). See Synonyms at old.

  3. Old-fashioned; antiquated.

  4. Having the qualities associated with age, wisdom, or long use; venerable.

n.  

  1. A very old person.

  2. A person who lived in times long past.

  3. ancients

    1. The peoples of the classical nations of antiquity.

    2. The ancient Greek and Roman authors.


[Middle English auncien, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *anteānus : Latin ante, before; see ant- in Indo-European roots + -ānus, adj. and n. suff.]
an'cient·ly adv., an'cient·ness n.
an·cient 2   (ān'shənt)   
n.  

  1. Archaic An ensign; a flag.

  2. Obsolete A flag-bearer or lieutenant.


[Alteration of ensign.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

ancient 
1366, auncyen, from O.Fr. ancien, from V.L. *anteanus, adjectivization of L. ante "before, in front of, against," from PIE *anti "against," locative singular of *ant- "front, forehead." 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. Meaning "standard-bearer" (1554, archaic, but preserved in Shakespeare's character Aunchient Pistoll in "Henry V") is a corruption of ensign (1554).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: an·cient
Function: adjective
: existing from a long past date; specifically : having had an uninterrupted existence of 20 to 30 or more years
NOTE: Things and esp. documents that are ancient benefit from a presumption that they are valid even though proof of their validity may be unavailable due to lapse of memory, absence of witnesses, or loss of documents.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see ancient on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way