antiquity

[an-tik-wi-tee]

noun

plural

antiquities 

1. the quality of being ancient; ancientness.

   a bowl of great antiquity.

2. ancient times; former ages.

   the splendor of antiquity.

3. the period of history before the Middle Ages.

4. the peoples, nations, tribes, or cultures of ancient times.

5. Usually antiquities. something belonging to or remaining from ancient times, as monuments, relics, or customs.

antiquity

/ ænˈtɪkwɪtɪ /

noun

1. the quality of being ancient or very old

   a vase of great antiquity

2. the far distant past, esp the time preceding the Middle Ages in Europe

3. the people of ancient times collectively; the ancients

Other Word Forms

• preantiquity noun
• subantiquity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of antiquity¹

1350–1400; Middle English antiquite < Anglo-French < Latin antīquitās, equivalent to antīqu ( us ) old ( antique ) + -itās -ity

Example Sentences

The writers of antiquity thought very little of the people who lived on the fringes of their own empires and had even less regard for the societies that existed beyond them.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

On Tuesday, Egypt's tourism and antiquities ministry announced that it had taken immediate measures after the bracelet disappeared from the Egyptian Museum's restoration laboratory, and that the case had been referred to police.

Read more on BBC

The antiquities ministry said it had taken immediate measures after the bracelet disappeared from the Egyptian Museum's restoration laboratory, and that the case had been referred to police.

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But the FBI says that, as one of the largest consumers of antiquities, the US had a responsibility to counter the trafficking of artefacts.

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But some experts say that more research and evidence are needed to conclusively prove the antiquity of the Tamil Brahmi script.

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Related Words

• antique 
• relic