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ancient

adj
/ˈeɪn.ʃənt/

Etymology

From Middle English auncyen, from Old French ancien, from Vulgar Latin *anteānus, composed of Latin ante (“before”) + -ānus (adjective-forming suffix). The non-etymological /t/ is by analogy with the common ending -ent.

  1. derived from ante
  2. derived from *anteānus✻
  3. derived from ancien
  4. inherited from auncyen

Definitions

  1. Having lasted from a remote period

    Having lasted from a remote period; having been of long duration; of great age, very old.

    • an ancient city
    • an ancient forest

  2. Existent or occurring in time long past, usually in remote ages

    Existent or occurring in time long past, usually in remote ages; belonging to or associated with antiquity; old, as opposed to modern.

    • an ancient author
    • an ancient empire

  3. Relating to antiquity as a primarily European historical period

    Relating to antiquity as a primarily European historical period; the time before the Middle Ages.

  4. ›+ 8 more definitions

    1. Experienced

      Experienced; versed.

      • approved by the consent of the moste ancient doctors of the Churche [part of the book title]

    2. Former

      Former; sometime.

      • They mourned their ancient leader lost.

    3. A person who is very old.

      • Hetty and Mrs. Piper watched them with a lynx-eyed understanding and before the ancient was well upon his road his way was blocked by Hetty.

    4. A person who lived in ancient times.

      • What is ancient for us was in its own time a reworking of what was ancient for the ancients.

    5. One of the senior members of the Inns of Court or of Chancery.

    6. A senior

      A senior; an elder; a predecessor.

      • Junius and Andronicus […] in Christianity […] were his ancients.

    7. A flag, banner, standard or ensign.

      • [D]iſcarded, vniuſt ſeruingmen, yonger ſonnes to yonger brothers, reuolted tapſters, and Oſtlers, tradefalne, the cankers of a calme world, and a long peace, ten times more diſhonourable ragged then an olde fazd ancient, […]
      • I got all things ready as he had directed, and waited the next morning with the boat washed clean, her ancient and pendants out, and everything to accommodate his guests..

    8. The bearer of a flag

      The bearer of a flag; ensign.

The neighborhood

Derived

AADAOPA, anciency, ancient alien, ancient astronaut, ancient document, Ancient Egypt, ancient grain, Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek, ancient history, ancientism, ancient Kangleipak, ancient lights, anciently, Ancient Macedonian, ancient marineress, ancient monument, ancient Near Eastern, ancientness, ancient regime, Ancient Rome, ancientry, ancients, ancient times, nonancient, superancient, unancient

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for ancient. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA