ante

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ante"

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin ante (“before”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈænti/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ænti
• Homophones: anti, anty, auntie (one pronunciation)

Noun

ante (plural antes)

1. A price or cost, as in up the ante.
   • 1936, Herbert Adams, chapter 2, in A Word of Six Letters‎^[1]:

     “… There was a man who always painted marble seats and another who did nothing but sheep. So a fellow I knew determined only to paint backs. Men's backs, women's backs, girls' backs and boys backs. … his best known bacchante was described by a critic as all back and no ante, but his backs became famous. …”

   • 2021 September 15, Laura Martin, “How talent shows became TV's most bizarre programmes”, in BBC‎^[2]:

     When it came to the more successful contestants, meanwhile, edits of the shows also began to fall heavily on sad backstories – the "sob story", if you will – instilling the idea that singers had to mine trauma from their lives to up the emotional ante, making them seem to be more "worthy" winners.

2. (poker) In poker and other games, the contribution made by all players to the pot before dealing the cards.

Derived terms

• ante in
• ante up
• penny ante
• penny-ante
• raise the ante
• up the ante

Translations

price or cost

• Finnish: panos (fi)
• French: mise (fr) f, enjeu (fr) m

initial contribution in games

• Czech: počáteční vklad, úvodní sázka
• Finnish: alkupanos, aloituspanos, avauspanos
• French: mise (fr) f, enjeu (fr) m, blinde (fr) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Bulgarian: ^{(please verify)} миза (miza)
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} miză (ro) f
• Russian: ^{(please verify)} ста́вка (ru) f (stávka)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} luz (es) f
• Ukrainian: ^{(please verify)} ста́вка (uk) (stávka)

See also

• ante litteram
• status quo ante

Verb

ante (third-person singular simple present antes, present participle anteing, simple past and past participle anted or anteed)

1. To pay the ante in poker. Often used as ante up.
2. To make an investment in money, effort, or time before knowing one's chances.

Translations

To pay the ante in poker

• Bulgarian: слагам миза (slagam miza)
• Finnish: maksaa alkupanos
• French: miser (fr)
• Russian: делать ставку impf (delatʹ stavku)
• Ukrainian: роби́ти ста́вку (robýty stávku)

To make an investment in money, effort, or time before knowing one's chances

• French: parier (fr)

See also

• status quo ante bellum

References

• “ante”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• tane, ta'en, anet, etna, NEAT, Aten, Neat, neta, Etan, Nate, neat, Etna, Tean, Tena

Akatek

Verb

ante

1. to cure

Asturian

Alternative forms

• énte

Etymology

From Latin ante.

Preposition

ante

1. before, in front of

   Synonym: delantre

Cimbrian

Etymology

Compare Old High German anto (“zeal, anger”), which could have undergone a semantic shift.

Noun

ante ?

1. (Sette Comuni) sorrow

   's tüumar ante ― sorry (literally, “it does me sorrow”)

   'S tüumar ante habandich gamach spaitan.

   I'm sorry to have kept you waiting.

References

• “ante” in Martalar, Umberto Martello, Bellotto, Alfonso (1974) Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French ante.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑn.tə/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: an‧te
• Rhymes: -ɑntə

Noun

ante f (plural anten)

1. (architecture) anta, corner pilaster

Eastern Arrernte

Noun

ante

1. and (from English)

References

• 2020. Eastern and Central Arrernte Learners' List, compiled by Veronica Perrule Dobson and John Henderson. Alice Springs, NT.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin antae.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ̃t/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

ante f (plural antes)

1. anta

Further reading

• “ante”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Galician

Preposition

ante

1. before, in front of

   Synonym: perante

Related terms

• antes
• diante de
• perante

Noun

ante m (plural antes)

1. elk (US), moose (UK) (Alces alces)

   Synonym: alce

Ido

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian ante, Spanish ante, and to some extent English anterior, all ultimately from Latin ante. (Compare Esperanto antaŭ (“before”, time and space).)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈante/

Preposition

ante

1. before (of time)

   Antonym: pos

   Ante parolar on devas pensar. ― Before talking one should think.

Derived terms

• ante-
• antea
• antee

Paronyms

• avan (“before”, in space)

Interlingua

Preposition

ante

1. ago

Usage notes

• The English word "ago" is used like a postposition.

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈan.te/
• Rhymes: -ante
• Hyphenation: àn‧te

Etymology 1

From Latin ante, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti (“opposite, in front of”).

Alternative forms

• anti

Adverb

ante (obsolete)

1. afore, ere; before, earlier
   • 1374, Francesco Petrarca, “Anima, che diverse cose tante”, in Il Canzoniere, Andrea Bettini, published 1858, p.220:

     Per quanto non vorreste o poscia od ante
     esser giunti al cammin che sì mal tiensi,
     per non trovarvi i duo bei lumi accensi,
     nè l'orme impresse dell'amate piante?

     How much later, or earlier, do you wish
     you had taken the road, that's so hard to follow,
     so as not to have met those two bright eyes
     or the steps of those beloved feet?

2. rather than, instead (of)
   • c. 1362, Buccio di Ranallo, Cronaca aquilana rimata, Forzani (1907), p. 171, “Anima, che diverse cose tante”:

     Lo duca de Duraczo respuse «Ad me despiace;
     collo re non vollio briga, ante vi vollio pace [...]»

     The Duke of Durazzo replied «I disagree;
     I wish not for trouble, but rather peace, with the king [...]»

Related terms

• ante-
• anteriore
• anzi
• anziano
• avanti

Etymology 2

Form of anta.

Noun

ante f

1. plural of anta

Anagrams

• Etna, nate, tane

Latin

Alternative forms

• (preposition): a. (abbreviation)
• in ante
• ab ante (Late Latin)

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *anti, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti, locative singular of the root noun *h₂ent- (“front, front side”).

Cognates include Ancient Greek ἀντί (antí, “opposite, facing”), Sanskrit अन्ति (ánti), Old Armenian ընդ (ənd), Tocharian B ānte, and English and.

The change from PIE ablative to Latin accusative is like the confrontational accusative used with Ancient Greek παρά (pará).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈan.te/, [ˈän̪t̪ɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈan.te/, [ˈän̪t̪e]

Preposition

ante (+ accusative)

1. indicates anteriority. before

   Synonyms: prae, prō

   Antonym: post

   1. of space. in front, before, forwards
      1. before, in the presence of, in the sight of
         • 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Ecclus..7.5:

           non te justifices ante Deum

           do not pass yourself off as righteous in the presence of God

   2. of time. before

      ante omnia ― first of all

      ante litteram (literally, “before the letter”)

   3. of importance. before, more than
      • c. 1 CE – 100 CE, Quintus Curtius Rufus, Historiae Alexandri Magni 7.7.10:

        necessitas ante rationem est

        necessity is more important than reason
        necessity goes before reason

Adverb

ante (not comparable)

1. before, in front, forwards (of space)
2. before, previously (of time)

   ante diem V

   4th day before ("fifth" counting inclusively)

Derived terms

• ab ante
• ante meridiem
• ante-
• antebellum
• antemortem
• antequam
• anterior
• anticipō
• antīquus
• ex ante
• in ante
• terminus ante quem

Related terms

• antiae

Descendants

• Italo-Romance:
  • Corsican: anti

    Gallurese: anti

    Sassarese: anti

  • Italian: ante, anti
  • Sicilian: antu, a l'antu
  • ⇒ Judeo-Italian: דֵינַאנְצִי (denaʔnəṣi /⁠denanzi⁠/) (dē +‎ in +‎ ante)
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Aragonese: antis
  • Old Leonese: [Term?]
    • Asturian: ante, énte, antes
    • Extremaduran: antis
    • Mirandese: antes ⇒ dantes
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: antes, ante ⇒ perante
    • Galician: antes, ante, perante
    • Portuguese: antes, ante, perante
  • Spanish: ante, antes
• Vulgar Latin: *antius
  • Catalan: ans
  • Italian: anzi
  • Old Francoprovençal: ancis
  • Old French: ains ⇒ ainçois
    • French: ains, ainçais
  • Piedmontese: ansi
  • Sicilian: anzi, nnanzi ('n + anzi)
• Borrowings:
  • →⇒ Esperanto: antaŭ
  • → Norwegian Bokmål: ante-

References

• “ante”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ante”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "ante", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• ante in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[3], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to foresee the far distant future: futura or casus futuros (multo ante) prospicere
    
  • twenty years ago: abhinc (ante) viginti annos or viginti his annis
    
  • before daybreak: ante lucem
    
  • something presents itself to my vision: ante oculos aliquid versatur
    
  • to picture a thing to oneself; to imagine: oculis, ante oculos (animo) proponere aliquid
    
  • picture to yourselves the circumstances: ante oculos vestros (not vobis) res gestas proponite
    
  • to fail to see what lies before one: quod ante pedes est or positum est, non videre
    
  • Homer lived many years before the foundation of Rome: Homerus fuit multis annis ante Romam conditam
    
  • to live up to one's reputation: famam ante collectam tueri, conservare
    
  • to bring a thing vividly before the eyes: ante oculos ponere aliquid
    
  • amnesty (ἀμνηρτία): ante actarum (praeteritarum) rerum oblivio or simply oblivio
    
  • to be elected at the age required by law (lex Villia annalis): suo (legitimo) anno creari (opp. ante annum)
    
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 45
• ante in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2025), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication

Middle English

Etymology 1

Noun

ante

1. Alternative form of ampte

Etymology 2

Noun

ante

1. Alternative form of aunte

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French antain

Noun

ante f (plural antes)

1. auntie; aunt

Descendants

• French: tante

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑːntə/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːntə
• Hyphenation: an‧te

Verb

ante

1. simple past of ane
2. past participle definite singular of ane
3. past participle plural of ane

Anagrams

• etan, nate, tane

Old French

Noun

ante f

1. nominative singular of antain

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• 𑀅𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁂 (Brahmi script)
• अन्ते (Devanagari script)
• অন্তে (Bengali script)
• අන‍්තෙ (Sinhalese script)
• အန္တေ or ဢၼ္တေ or ဢၼ်တေ (Burmese script)
• อนฺเต or อันเต (Thai script)
• ᩋᨶ᩠ᨲᩮ (Tai Tham script)
• ອນ຺ເຕ or ອັນເຕ (Lao script)
• អន្តេ (Khmer script)
• 𑄃𑄚𑄴𑄖𑄬 (Chakma script)

Noun

ante

1. inflection of anta (“end”):
   1. locative singular
   2. accusative plural
2. locative singular of anta (“intestine”)

Adjective

ante

1. inflection of anta (“extreme; interior”):
   1. locative singular masculine/neuter
   2. accusative plural masculine

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈɐ̃.t͡ʃi/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈɐ̃.t͡ʃi/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈɐ̃.te/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈɐ̃.tɨ/

• Rhymes: (Brazil) -ɐ̃tʃi, (Portugal) -ɐ̃tɨ
• Hyphenation: an‧te

Preposition

ante

1. before (in front of in space)
2. in front of (at or near the front part of)
3. in front of (in the presence of someone)

Synonyms

• (in front of): em frente a, na frente de, diante de

Adverb

ante (not comparable)

1. Obsolete form of antes.

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈante/ [ˈãn̪.t̪e]
• Rhymes: -ante
• Syllabification: an‧te

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin ante.

Preposition

ante

1. in front of, before

   Tengo que comparecer ante el juez.

   I have to appear before the judge.

   • 2023 August 22, Elsa García de Blas, “El Rey encarga a Feijóo una investidura abocada al fracaso”, in El País‎^[4]:

     Ante la inédita situación en democracia de que dos candidatos se ofrecieran a ser investidos sin tener aún los apoyos suficientes, el Rey Felipe VI ha priorizado la “costumbre” de que se presente primero la lista más votada en las elecciones y ha encargado al líder del PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, que intente una investidura.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. against, compared to

   Synonyms: contra, frente a

Derived terms

• ante la duda
• ante todo

Related terms

• ante-
• antes

Etymology 2

From Andalusian Arabic لمط (lámṭ).

Noun

ante m (plural antes, feminine anta, feminine plural antas)

1. elk

   Synonym: alce

2. suede
3. (Mexico) tapir (large odd-toed ungulate with a long prehensile upper lip)

   Synonyms: sachavaca, anta, anteburro, tapir

Derived terms

• anteado
• anteburro

Further reading

• “ante”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Swedish

Verb

ante

1. (colloquial, dialectal) past of ana

   Synonym: anade

Derived terms

• det ante mig

Anagrams

• Aten, enat, etan