antiquarian

[an-ti-kwair-ee-uh n]

See more synonyms for antiquarian on Thesaurus.com

adjective

pertaining to antiquaries or to the study of antiquities.
of, dealing in, or interested in old or rare books.

noun

an antiquary.
a size of drawing and writing paper, 31 × 53 or 29 × 52 inches.

Origin of antiquarian

1600–10; < Latin antīquāri(us) (see antiquary) + -an

Related formsan·ti·quar·i·an·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for antiquarianism

excavation, paleontology, paleology, prehistory, antiquarianism

Examples from the Web for antiquarianism

Historical Examples of antiquarianism

The spirit of antiquarianism has not, indeed, slumbered among us.
The Archaeology and Prehistoric Annals of Scotland
Daniel Wilson
This way, he says, lie merely the dry bones of archology and antiquarianism.
Schopenhauer
Margrieta Beer
But let us have no antiquarianism about Dickens for Dickens is not an antiquity.
A Chesterton Calendar
G. K. Chesterton
But Keats never was nor tried to be exact in his antiquarianism.
Life of John Keats
Sidney Colvin
However, the days of that old school of antiquarianism are numbered.
Custom and Myth
Andrew Lang

British Dictionary definitions for antiquarianism

antiquarian

adjective

concerned with the study of antiquities or antiques

noun

the largest size of handmade drawing paper, 53 × 31 inches
a less common name for antiquary

Derived Formsantiquarianism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for antiquarianism

antiquarian

"one who studies or is fond of antiquities," c.1600, from Latin antiquarius "pertaining to antiquity," from antiquus (see antique (adj.)) + -an. As an adjective from 1771.