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ancient

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ancient¹

  • /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/
  • /ˈeɪn.t͡ʃənt/
  • /ˈeɪŋk.ʃənt/ nonstandard
  • /ˈæn.ʃənt/ dialectal
  • /ˈæn.t͡ʃənt/ dialectal

Rhymes with -eɪnʃənt

Where it comes from

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

adjective ancienter · more ancient · ancientest · most ancient · ancientmost · anchient

  1. Having lasted from a remote period; having been of long duration; of great age, very old. an ancient city
  2. 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
  3. Relating to antiquity as a primarily European historical period; the time before the Middle Ages.
  4. obsolete Experienced; versed. approved by the consent of the moste ancient doctors of the Churche [part of the book title]
  5. obsolete Former; sometime. They mourned their ancient leader lost.

Similar: eldern, hoary

noun ancients · anchient · aunchient · auncient · auntient · awncient

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. UK One of the senior members of the Inns of Court or of Chancery.
  4. obsolete A senior; an elder; a predecessor. Junius and Andronicus […] in Christianity […] were his ancients.

Similar: oldster, senior citizen, forerunner

ancient²

  • /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/
  • /ˈeɪn.t͡ʃənt/
  • /ˈeɪŋk.ʃənt/ nonstandard
  • /ˈæn.ʃənt/ dialectal
  • /ˈæn.t͡ʃənt/ dialectal

Rhymes with -eɪnʃənt

Where it comes from

Corruption of ensign.

noun ancients

  1. archaic 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, […]
  2. obsolete, rare The bearer of a flag; ensign. I preſt mee none but such toſtes and butter with hearts in their bellies no bigger then pianes heades, and they haue bought out their ſeruices, and now my whole charge conſiſts of Ancients, Corporals, Lieutenants, gentlemen of companies: ſlaues as ragged as Lazarus in the painted cloth, where the gl

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