ancient

¹

[eyn-shuhnt]

adjective

1. of or in time long past, especially before the end of the Western Roman Empire a.d. 476.

   ancient history.

   Synonyms: early
   Antonyms: recent

2. dating from a remote period; of great age: ancient trees.

   ancient rocks;

   ancient trees.

   Synonyms: immemorial, age-old
   Antonyms: recent, modern, new

3. very old; aged.

   She's fifteen, which is ancient for a dog that size.

4. being old in wisdom and experience; venerable.

5. old-fashioned or antique.

   Synonyms: vintage, retro, old-time, old-fashioned, olden, antique

noun

1. a person who lived in ancient times.

2. one of the classical writers of antiquity.

3. a very old or aged person, especially if venerable or patriarchal.

4. ancients,

   1. Usually the ancients the civilized peoples, nations, or cultures of antiquity, as the Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, and Egyptians.

   2. the writers, artists, and philosophers of ancient times, especially those of Greece and Rome.

ancient

²

[eyn-shuhnt]

noun

Obsolete.

1. the bearer of a flag.

2. a flag, banner, or standard; ensign.

ancient

¹

/ ˈeɪnʃənt /

adjective

1. dating from very long ago

   ancient ruins

2. very old; aged

3. of the far past, esp before the collapse of the Western Roman Empire (476 _ad ) Compare medieval modern

4. law having existed since before the time of legal memory

noun

1. (often plural) a member of a civilized nation in the ancient world, esp a Greek, Roman, or Hebrew

2. (often plural) one of the classical authors of Greek or Roman antiquity

3. archaic,  an old man

ancient

²

/ ˈeɪnʃənt /

noun

1. a flag or other banner; standard

2. a standard-bearer; ensign

Other Word Forms

• ancientness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ancient¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English auncien, from Anglo-French; Old French ancien, from unattested Vulgar Latin antiānus, equivalent to Latin ante(ā) “before”+ -ānus adjective suffix; late Middle English forms with -t- developed by confusion with the present participle ending -nt; -an, ante-, -ent

Origin of ancient²

First recorded in 1550–60; variant of ensign by confusion with ancient ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of ancient¹

C14: from Old French ancien, from Vulgar Latin anteanus (unattested), from Latin ante before

Origin of ancient²

C16: changed from _ensign through the influence of _ancient ¹

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Sediment analysis confirmed the existence of these ancient water sources, which would have provided essential support for human groups venturing into the desert interior and allowed them to survive in this challenging environment.

Read more on Science Daily

By refining global biostratigraphic frameworks and calibrating species' evolutionary timelines, INA researchers transform fossils of coccolithophores into precise tools for reconstructing ancient oceans, linking modern plankton ecology with the geological record of climate change.

Read more on Science Daily

For millennia, sensational accounts like these were all that was known about these bygone backwaters of the ancient world.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Although the subject sounds abstract, the examples are comfortably concrete, from ancient trade routes to 19th-century canals and railroads to modern highway systems.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Built in the 1850s, this meticulously maintained property features deep double galleries overlooking lush gardens and a gated entry framed by ancient Crepe Myrtles,” the description stated.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• age-old 
• antique 
• archaic 
• hoary 
• old-fashioned 
• timeworn 
• venerable