ancient

ancient
{{11}}ancient (adj.) mid-14c., auncyen, from O.Fr. ancien "old, long-standing, ancient," from V.L. *anteanus, lit. "from before," adjectivization of L. ante "before, in front of, against" (from PIE *anti "against," locative singular of *ant- "front, forehead;" see ANTE (Cf. ante)). The parasitic -t dates from 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 English law, "from before the Norman Conquest." Ancient of Days is from Dan. vii:9. Related: Anciently.
{{12}}ancient (n.) "standard-bearer," 1550s, a corruption of ENSIGN (Cf. ensign). Archaic, but preserved in Shakespeare's character Aunchient Pistoll in "Henry V."

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Ancient — An cient, a. [OE. auncien, F. ancien, LL. antianus, fr. L. ante before. See {Ante }, pref.] 1. Old; that happened or existed in former times, usually at a great distance of time; belonging to times long past; specifically applied to the times… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ancient — Жанр Мелодичный блэк метал Годы с 1992 Страна …   Википедия

  • Ancient — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Banda de Black metal melódico formado en Noruega en 1992. Ha lanzado seis álbumes integrales y firma, actualmente, con Metal Blade Records. Ancient emplea el sonido del Raw black metal, similar a los trabajos de… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Ancient — Pays d’origine  Norvege !Norvège Genre musical Black metal Années d activité 1992 Aujourd hui …   Wikipédia en Français

  • ancient — an·cient adj: existing from a long past date; specif: having had an uninterrupted existence of 20 to 30 or more years ◇ Things and esp. documents that are ancient benefit from a presumption that they are valid even though proof of their validity… …   Law dictionary

  • ancient — ancient1 [ān′chənt, ān′shənt] adj. [ME auncien < OFr ancien < VL * anteanus < L ante, before: t by infl. of ENT] 1. of times long past; belonging to the early history of the world, esp. before the end of the Western Roman Empire (A.D.… …   English World dictionary

  • Ancient — An cient, n. [Corrupted from ensign.] 1. An ensign or flag. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] More dishonorable ragged than an old faced ancient. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. The bearer of a flag; an ensign. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] This is Othello s ancient, as I… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ancient — ► ADJECTIVE 1) belonging to or originating in the very distant past. 2) chiefly humorous very old. ► NOUN 1) archaic or humorous an old man. 2) (the ancients) the people of ancient times. DERIVATIVES …   English terms dictionary

  • Ancient — An cient, n. 1. pl. Those who lived in former ages, as opposed to the {moderns}. [1913 Webster] 2. An aged man; a patriarch. Hence: A governor; a ruler; a person of influence. [1913 Webster] The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ancient — Allgemeine Informationen Genre(s) Black Metal Gründung 1992 Website http://www.ancientband.net/ …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • ancient — *old, venerable, antediluvian, antique, antiquated, archaic, obsolete Analogous words: primeval, pristine, primal, primordial (see PRIMARY) Antonyms: modern Contrasted words: *new, new fashioned, new fangled, fresh, novel, modernistic: current,… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

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