Asked by: Dr. Kevin Nitzsche
Score: 4.8/5
(25 votes)
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.
Is it ancient or ancient?
Ancient means belonging to the distant past, especially to the period in history before the end of the Roman Empire. They believed ancient Greece and Rome were vital sources of learning.
Is ancient an adjective yes or no?
As detailed above, ‘ancient’ can be an adjective or a noun. Adjective usage: an ancient city. Adjective usage: an ancient forest. Adjective usage: an ancient author.
What does it mean by ancient?
: very old : having lived or existed for a very long time. : of, coming from, or belonging to a time that was long ago in the past. See the full definition for ancient in the English Language Learners Dictionary. ancient. adjective.
Is ancient an adjective?
ANCIENT (adjective) definition and synonyms | Macmillan Dictionary.
18 related questions found
What is an adjective for ancient?
ancient. Having lasted from a remote period; having been of long duration; of great age; very old. Existent or occurring in time long past, usually in remote ages; belonging to or associated with antiquity; old, as opposed to modern.
What is an example of ancient?
Ancient is defined as someone or something that has lasted a very long time. The story of Hercules is an example of an ancient story. … The definition of ancient refers to an era that existed a very long time ago. The Roman Empire is an example of an ancient civilization.
How old is ancient?
The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script, with the oldest coherent texts from about 2600 BC. Ancient history covers all continents inhabited by humans in the period 3000 BC – AD 500.
What do you mean by ancient place old?
of or in time long past, especially before the end of the Western Roman Empire a.d. 476: ancient history. dating from a remote period; of great age: ancient rocks;ancient trees. very old; aged: She’s fifteen, which is ancient for a dog that size. being old in wisdom and experience; venerable. old-fashioned or antique.
What is the synonyms for ancient?
Some common synonyms of ancient are antiquated, antique, archaic, obsolete, old, and venerable. While all these words mean «having come into existence or use in the more or less distant past,» ancient applies to occurrence, existence, or use in or survival from the distant past.
What is YES in Old English?
The English word ‘yes’ is thought to come from the Old English word ‘gēse’, meaning ‘may it be so’, and can be traced back to earlier than the 12th century.
Does Latin have a word for yes?
Latin. Latin has no single words for yes and no. Their functions as word sentence responses to yes-no questions are taken up by sentence adverbs, single adverbs that are sentence modifiers and also used as word sentences.
What can I say instead of yes?
synonyms for yes
- affirmative.
- amen.
- fine.
- good.
- okay.
- yea.
- all right.
- aye.
Who studies ancient times and ancient peoples?
Archaeologist: A scientist who studies human history, particularly the culture of historic and prehistoric people, through discovery and exploration of remains, structures and writings.
When did the ancient era end?
The Early Middle Ages are a period in the history of Europe following the fall of the Western Roman Empire spanning roughly five centuries from CE 500 to 1000. Not all historians agree on the ending dates of ancient history, which frequently falls somewhere in the 5th, 6th, or 7th century.
Which are the ancient languages?
12 Oldest Languages In The World Still Widely Used!
- Tamil (5000 years old) — Oldest Living Language of the World. …
- Sanskrit (5000 years old) — World’s Oldest Language. …
- Egyptian (5000 years old) …
- Hebrew (3000 years old) …
- Greek (2900 years old) …
- Basque (2200 years old) …
- Lithuanian (5000 years old) …
- Farsi (2500 years old)
Who founded ancient India?
Ancient India History
The History of India begins with the Indus Valley Civilization and the coming of the Aryans. These two phases are generally described as the pre-Vedic and Vedic periods.
Who is the first recorded human?
The First Humans
One of the earliest known humans is Homo habilis, or “handy man,” who lived about 2.4 million to 1.4 million years ago in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Which is oldest civilization in the world?
The Sumerian civilization is the oldest civilization known to mankind. The term Sumer is today used to designate southern Mesopotamia. In 3000 BC, a flourishing urban civilization existed. The Sumerian civilization was predominantly agricultural and had community life.
Which country has the oldest history?
An old missionary student of China once remarked that Chinese history is “remote, monotonous, obscure, and-worst of all-there is too much of it.” China has the longest continuous history of any country in the world—3,500 years of written history. And even 3,500 years ago China’s civilization was old!
What is the sentences of ancient?
(1) Marriage became an institution in ancient societies. (2) According to ancient legend, the river is a goddess. (3) She’s very proud of her ancient royal lineage. (4) The aisle was floored with ancient bricks.
What is the word ancient in a sentence?
They found the ruins of an ancient civilization while digging for oil. He did his doctoral thesis on the marriage customs of slaves living in ancient Rome. My grandmother is ancient, almost 100 years old.
What is the root word of ancient?
ancient (adj.)
1400, of things, «having lasted from a remote period,» from Old French ancien «old, long-standing, ancient,» from Vulgar Latin *anteanus, literally «from before,» adjectivization of Latin ante «before, in front of, against» (from PIE *anti «against,» locative singular of root *ant- «front, forehead»).
What is the superlative form of ancient?
Ancientest meaning
Superlative form of ancient: most ancient.
What is the meaning of ancient in Oxford dictionary?
very old; having existed for a very long time.
Britannica Dictionary definition of ANCIENT
[more ancient; most ancient]
1
:
very old
:
having lived or existed for a very long time
-
The people in the village still observe the ancient customs/traditions of their ancestors.
-
a grove of ancient oak trees
— often used in an exaggerated way to describe an old machine, person, etc.
-
We got a ride in an ancient truck.
-
an ancient barn
-
I never thought I’d feel ancient at age 31.
-
She finally decided to replace her ancient computer with something more modern and up to date.
2
:
of, coming from, or belonging to a time that was long ago in the past
-
The practice was more common in ancient times than it is now.
-
life in ancient Egypt/Rome/Greece/China
-
the gods of the ancient Romans
-
ancient artifacts
-
She studied both ancient and modern history.
◊ In informal use, something that happened long ago and that is not important any more is ancient history.
-
Our relationship is ancient history.
-
Forget about the problems we’ve had in the past. They’re ancient history.
— anciently
/ˈeɪnʃəntli/
adverb
-
a drink that was used anciently [=in ancient times] as a love potion
- Albanian: i lashtë (sq), i moçëm (sq)
- Arabic: قَدِيم (ar) (qadīm), عَتِيق (ʕatīq), عَرِيق (ʕarīq)
- Egyptian Arabic: عتيق (ʕatīʾ)
- Armenian: հին (hy) (hin), հինավուրց (hy) (hinavurcʿ), հնամյա (hy) (hnamya), հնամենի (hy) (hnameni)
- Asturian: antiguu
- Azerbaijani: antik, qədim (az), qədimi
- Belarusian: старажы́тны (staražýtny), анты́чны (antýčny), стары́ (starý), старада́ўні (staradáŭni)
- Bengali: কদীম (bn) (kôdīm), প্রাচীন (bn) (pracin)
- Bikol Central: suanoy (bcl)
- Bulgarian: дре́вен (bg) (dréven), анти́чен (bg) (antíčen), стар (bg) (star)
- Burmese: ရှေး (my) (hre:), ဟောင်း (my) (haung:)
- Catalan: antic (ca), vetust (ca)
- Chechen: шира (šira)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 古代 (zh) (gǔdài), 古老 (zh) (gǔlǎo), 古舊/古旧 (zh) (gǔjiù), 老 (zh) (lǎo)
- Chukchi: тэԓеӈкин (tėḷeṇkin)
- Czech: starobylý (cs), starověký (cs), prastarý (cs)
- Danish: urgammel
- Dutch: antiek (nl), oeroud (nl)
- Esperanto: malnovega, grandaĝa
- Estonian: iidne, muistne, vana (et)
- Faroese: fornur
- Finnish: ikivanha (fi), ikiaikainen (fi), hyvin vanha
- French: ancien (fr), antique (fr)
- Friulian: antîc
- Galician: antigo (gl)
- Georgian: უძველესი (uʒvelesi), ანტიკური (anṭiḳuri), ძველი (ʒveli)
- German: historisch (de), altbacken (de) (pejorative), antiquiert (de), vorsintflutlich (de) (humorously)
- Greek: αρχαίος (el) m (archaíos)
- Ancient: ἀρχαῖος m (arkhaîos)
- Haitian Creole: ansyen
- Hebrew: עָתִיק (he) (‘atíq), קָדוּם (he) m (qadúm), קַדְמוֹן m (qadmón)
- Hindi: प्राचीन (hi) (prācīn), पुरातन (hi) (purātan), पुराण (hi) (purāṇ)
- Hungarian: antik (hu), ősi (hu), ősrégi (hu)
- Icelandic: forn (is)
- Ido: anciena (io), antiqua (io)
- Indonesian: kuno (id), purba (id)
- Istriot: anteîco
- Italian: antico (it)
- Japanese: 古代な (ja) (こだいな, kodai na), 古い (ja) (ふるい, furui)
- Kazakh: ежелгі (ejelgı), ерте (kk) (erte)
- Khmer: បុរាណ (km) (boraan)
- Korean: 고대(古代)의 (godae-ui), 낡다 (ko) (nakda)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: کەونار (kewnar)
- Northern Kurdish: kevnar (ku)
- Kyrgyz: эзелки (ky) (ezelki), эчаккы (eçakkı), байыркы (ky) (bayırkı)
- Lao: ບູຮານ (bū hān), ເກົ່າແກ່ (lo) (kao kǣ)
- Latgalian: senejs
- Latin: prīscus (la), antīquus (la)
- Latvian: sens
- Lithuanian: sens (lt)
- Macedonian: древен (dreven), стар (star), антички (antički)
- Malay: kuno (ms), purba (ms)
- Malayalam: പുരാതന (ml) (purātana)
- Maltese: antik, qadim
- Maranao: miaoget
- Mbyá Guaraní: yma
- Nanai: бапапчи
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: eldgammel, eldgammal, antikk
- Nynorsk: eldgamal, eldgammal, antikk
- Old English: eald (ang)
- Ossetian: рагон (ragon)
- Persian: باستان (fa) (bâstân), قدیم (fa) (qadim)
- Polish: starożytny (pl), antyczny (pl), starodawny (pl)
- Portuguese: antigo (pt)
- Quechua: machu (qu)
- Romanian: antic (ro)
- Russian: дре́вний (ru) (drévnij), стари́нный (ru) (starínnyj), анти́чный (ru) (antíčnyj), ста́рый (ru) (stáryj), старода́вний (ru) (starodávnij), ветхий (ru) (vetxij)
- Sanskrit: प्राचीन (sa) (prācīna), पुराण (sa) (purāṇa)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: стар, древан, стародреван, антички
- Roman: star (sh), drevan (sh), starodrevan, antički (sh)
- Slovak: starobylý, staroveký (sk), starý (sk), antický
- Slovene: starodaven (sl), star (sl), starinski
- Spanish: antiguo (es)
- Swedish: urgammal (sv), antik (sv), uråldrig (sv)
- Tajik: қадим (tg) (qadim), бостонӣ (bostonī)
- Thai: โบราณ (th) (boo-raan), เก่าแก่ (gào-gɛ̀ɛ)
- Tibetan: སྔ་མོ (snga mo)
- Turkish: antik (tr), antika (tr), kadim (tr)
- Turkmen: gadym, gadymy
- Ukrainian: дре́вній (drévnij), старода́вній (starodávnij), анти́чний (uk) (antýčnyj), стари́й (starýj)
- Urdu: قدیم (qadīm)
- Uzbek: qadimgi (uz), qadimiy (uz)
- Vietnamese: cổ đại (vi) (古代), xưa (vi), cổ (vi) (古 (vi))
- Yiddish: אַנטיק (antik)
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I think I tend to try to let a woman walk through a door first, and I walk on the outside on the street. But that’s probably because I’m an ancient creature.
Jim Carter
ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD ANCIENT
From Old French ancien, from Vulgar Latin anteanus (unattested), from Latin ante before.
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
PRONUNCIATION OF ANCIENT
GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF ANCIENT
Ancient can act as a noun and an adjective.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.
The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.
WHAT DOES ANCIENT MEAN IN ENGLISH?
Ancient history
Ancient history is the aggregate of past events from the beginning of recorded human history to the Early Middle Ages or the Postclassical Era. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, with Sumerian Cuneiform script, the oldest discovered form of coherent writing, from the protoliterate period around the 30th century BC. The term classical antiquity is often used to refer to history in the Old World from the beginning of recorded Greek history in 776 BC. This roughly coincides with the traditional date of the founding of Rome in 753 BC, the beginning of the history of ancient Rome, and the beginning of the Archaic period in Ancient Greece. Although the ending date of ancient history is disputed, some Western scholars use the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, the closure of the Platonic Academy in 529 AD, the death of the emperor Justinian I, the coming of Islam or the rise of Charlemagne as the end of ancient and Classical European history. In India, the period includes the early period of the Middle Kingdoms, and, in China, the time up to the Qin Dynasty is included.
Definition of ancient in the English dictionary
The first definition of ancient in the dictionary is dating from very long ago. Other definition of ancient is very old; aged. Ancient is also having existed since before the time of legal memory.
WORDS THAT RHYME WITH ANCIENT
Synonyms and antonyms of ancient in the English dictionary of synonyms
SYNONYMS OF «ANCIENT»
The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «ancient» and belong to the same grammatical category.
Translation of «ancient» into 25 languages
TRANSLATION OF ANCIENT
Find out the translation of ancient to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of ancient from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «ancient» in English.
Translator English — Chinese
远古的
1,325 millions of speakers
Translator English — Spanish
antiguo
570 millions of speakers
English
ancient
510 millions of speakers
Translator English — Hindi
प्राचीन
380 millions of speakers
Translator English — Arabic
قَدِيـم
280 millions of speakers
Translator English — Russian
древний
278 millions of speakers
Translator English — Portuguese
antigo
270 millions of speakers
Translator English — Bengali
প্রাচীন
260 millions of speakers
Translator English — French
ancien
220 millions of speakers
Translator English — Malay
Kuno
190 millions of speakers
Translator English — German
uralt
180 millions of speakers
Translator English — Japanese
大昔の
130 millions of speakers
Translator English — Korean
고대의
85 millions of speakers
Translator English — Javanese
Kuno
85 millions of speakers
Translator English — Vietnamese
cổ đại
80 millions of speakers
Translator English — Tamil
பண்டைய
75 millions of speakers
Translator English — Marathi
प्राचीन
75 millions of speakers
Translator English — Turkish
eski
70 millions of speakers
Translator English — Italian
antico
65 millions of speakers
Translator English — Polish
starożytny
50 millions of speakers
Translator English — Ukrainian
стародавній
40 millions of speakers
Translator English — Romanian
antic
30 millions of speakers
Translator English — Greek
αρχαίος
15 millions of speakers
Translator English — Afrikaans
antieke
14 millions of speakers
Translator English — Swedish
forntida
10 millions of speakers
Translator English — Norwegian
eldgammel
5 millions of speakers
Trends of use of ancient
TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «ANCIENT»
The term «ancient» is very widely used and occupies the 5.681 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «ancient» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of ancient
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «ancient».
FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «ANCIENT» OVER TIME
The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «ancient» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «ancient» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.
Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about ancient
10 QUOTES WITH «ANCIENT»
Famous quotes and sentences with the word ancient.
When I wrote ‘The Alexandria Link,’ I discovered that we are only aware of about 10 percent of the knowledge of the ancient world. In the ancient world, most of the knowledge was destroyed. Every emperor of China who came in wiped out everything that came before them, to the point that the country completely forgot its past.
It more or less has the shape of a love song, but ‘Crescent Moon’ reflects more my longing for an ancient romantic context that includes wild animals, fire, danger of death, stellar navigation, and seasonal intuition.
A book has got smell. A new book smells great. An old book smells even better. An old book smells like ancient Egypt.
The knowledge of the ancient languages is mainly a luxury.
Almost in every kingdom the most ancient families have been at first princes’ bastards.
A new breeze is blowing, and a world refreshed by freedom seems reborn; for in man’s heart, if not in fact, the day of the dictator is over. The totalitarian era is passing, its old ideas blown away like leaves from an ancient, lifeless tree.
These ancient huts were soon cleared of the rubbish covering them. I planned them, and removed them for investigation below, which undertaking took until the fourth of Nov.
I think I tend to try to let a woman walk through a door first, and I walk on the outside on the street. But that’s probably because I’m an ancient creature.
The best teachers, one hopes, don’t shout at their students — because they are skilled at wooing as well as demanding the best efforts of others. For the ancient Greeks and Romans, this wooing was a sufficiently fine art in itself to be the central focus of education.
Chaos does not mean total disorder. Chaos means a multiplicity of possibilities. Chaos is from the ancient Greek words that means a thing that is birthed from the void. And it was about that which is possible, not about disorder.
10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «ANCIENT»
Discover the use of ancient in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to ancient and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
The Four Ancient Books Of Wales
1868. This volume is compiled from four manuscripts of poems attributed to the bards of the sixth century. They include: The Black Book of Caermarthen; the Book of Aneurin; the Book of Taliessin; and the Red Book of Hergest.
2
The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts
This volume contains the complete translation of the Pyramid Texts, including new texts recently discovered and published.
James Peter Allen, Peter Der Manuelian, 2005
3
A Companion to Ancient Macedonia
The most comprehensive and up-to-date work available on ancient Macedonian history and material culture, A Companion to Ancient Macedonia is an invaluable reference for students and scholars alike.
Joseph Roisman, Ian Worthington, 2010
4
The Ancient Economy: Evidence and Models
«We have waited too long for this fine book.»—Journal of Interdisciplinary History «[This book] is an important and timely contribution to a growing field in the study of Mediterranean antiquity.»—Canadian Journal of History
Joseph Gilbert Manning, Ian Morris, 2007
5
Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization
«Ancient written documents often provide the essential information and these are used where necessary. However, the book highlights the contribution that archaeology makes, seeking an integration of sources.
Throughout the book, vivid descriptions of actual sanctuaries and practices, the inclusion of ancient texts in translation, and the use of abundant illustrations re-create the rich and varied religious life of ancient Greece.
7
Ancient Chamorro Society
An ethnohistory of the ancient Chamorros, the earliest people to settle the Mariana Islands.
Lawrence J. Cunningham, 1992
8
Cultural Identity in the Ancient Mediterranean
Cultural identity in the classical world is explored from a variety of angles.
9
Ancient Mosaic Pavements: Themes, Issues, and Trends : …
This publication is engaged in issues, trends, and themes depicted on mosaic pavements discovered in Israel, the Gaza Strip and Petra (the provinces of ancient Palaestina Prima, Secunda and Tertia) with comparable floors in Jordan (Arabia).
10
Ancient Egyptian Literature: The Old and Middle Kingdoms
Chronologically arranged translations of ancient Egyptian writings shed light upon the development of diverse literary forms. Bibliogs.
10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «ANCIENT»
Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term ancient is used in the context of the following news items.
WA radio telescope hears ancient signal
A ground-breaking radio telescope project in remote Western Australia has captured a signal emitted before the solar system was born. «Sydney Morning Herald, Jul 15»
Ancient Fish Evolved Gills to Survive Acidic Oceans
Fish gills evolved to balance pH, not breathe, suggests a new study. This goes against the traditional assumption that gills first evolved so fish … «Discovery News, Jul 15»
Mapping project reveals ancient faults in changing seafloor
Newfound traces of ancient seismic faults along the ocean bottom recall earthquakes that ruptured the seafloor thousands of years ago. «San Francisco Chronicle, Jul 15»
Ancient Priest is Festival song winner
Jamaica Festival Song winner Ancient Priest (right) collecting his prize from Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s board chairman … «Jamaica Observer, Jul 15»
Ancient Ritual Bath Found Under Jerusalem Home
The secret of the existence of an ancient Jewish ritual bath known as a mikveh, which was discovered three years ago by the residents of the … «New Historian, Jul 15»
Steep rise in theft of ancient slabs from churchyards, paths and walls …
Crosses — hastily engraved — mark each one of the paving stones leading to the entrance of Christ Church in Linthwaite, a village set high in … «Daily Mail, Jul 15»
History of dragon boats ancient
Qu Yuan was an ancient Chinese statesman in the southern state of Chu from 475-221 BC and was known for his extreme political loyalty and … «The Sudbury Star, Jul 15»
On the trail of ancient Americans: MSUM scientist finds campsite …
MOORHEAD — Archaeologist George Holley held up a pointy flake of rock found at an ancient campsite near the Buffalo River earlier this … «West Central Tribune, Jul 15»
Ancient Jewish necropolis named World Heritage Site
An emblem of a menorah carved in the stone, inside a structure at Beit She’arim National Park, an archaeological site in the Lower Galilee. «The Times of Israel, Jul 15»
Children’s camp focuses on ancient Greek, Roman culture
This program teaches students about the Latin language and the culture and civilization of the ancient Greeks and Romans through readings, … «Fredericksburg.com, Jul 15»
REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Ancient [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/ancient>. Apr 2023 ».
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Other forms: ancients
Ancient means very old. Sometimes there’s a sense of «older than old.» My grandmother, bless her soul, lived until she was positively ancient.
Ancient art is that made in places and times we refer to as Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome and Ancient Egypt, and «an ancient» is someone who lived either during those eras, or in a Biblical context, before the flood that brought us the story of Noah and the Ark.
Definitions of ancient
-
adjective
belonging to times long past especially of the historical period before the fall of the Western Roman Empire
“ancient history”
“ancient civilizations such as those of the Etruscans and Sumerians”
“ancient Greece”
-
Synonyms:
-
past
earlier than the present time; no longer current
-
past
-
“an
ancient mariner”-
Synonyms:
-
old
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
-
old
-
noun
a person who lived in ancient times
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘ancient’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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