antiquity

See also: Antiquity

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

antiquitie (obsolete)

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English antiquyte, antiquite, antiquytee, a borrowing from Old French antiquité, antiquitet, from Latin antiquitas, from antiquus. Equivalent to antique +‎ -ity. See antique, antic. Compare with French antiquité.

Pronunciation[edit]

(UK) IPA^(key): /ænˈtɪk.wɪ.ti/
(US) IPA^(key): /ænˈtɪk.wə.ti/
Audio (US) (file)

Noun[edit]

antiquity (countable and uncountable, plural antiquities)

Ancient times; faraway history; former ages
Cicero was an eloquent orator of antiquity.
The people of ancient times.
- 1614, Walter Ralegh [i.e., Walter Raleigh], The Historie of the World […], London: […] William Stansby for Walter Burre, […], OCLC 37026674, (please specify |book=1 to 5):
  
  That such pillars were raised by Seth all antiquity has avowed.
(obsolete) An old gentleman.
- 1633 (first performance), Benjamin Jonson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “A Tale of a Tub. A Comedy […]”, in The Workes of Benjamin Jonson. The Second Volume. […] (Second Folio), London: […] Richard Meighen, published 1640, OCLC 51546498, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
  You are a shrewd antiquity, neighbor Clench.
(historical) The historical period preceding the Middle Ages (c. 500-1500), primarily relating to European history.
(often constructed as an uncountable plural) A relic or monument of ancient times, such as a coin, a statue, etc.; an ancient institution.
The state of being ancient or of ancient lineage.
- 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, OCLC 4293071:
  He was thinking; but the glory of the song, the swell from the great organ, the clustered lights, […] , the height and vastness of this noble fane, its antiquity and its strength—all these things seemed to have their part as causes of the thrilling emotion that accompanied his thoughts.

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

ancient times

Arabic: تَارِيخ قَدِيم‎ m (tārīḵ qadīm)
Bulgarian: древност (bg) (drevnost), античност (bg) (antičnost)
Catalan: antiguitat (ca) f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 古代 (zh) (gǔdài)
Czech: antika (cs) f, starověk (cs) m
Dutch: oudheid (nl) f
Esperanto: antikveco, antikvo
Ethiopian Sign Language: የድሮ ዘመነን
Finnish: antiikki (fi)
French: Antiquité (fr) f
Galician: antigüidade (gl) f
German: Antike (de) f, Altertum (de) n
Greek: αρχαιότητα (el) f (archaiótita)
Ancient: ἀρχαιότης f (arkhaiótēs)
Hungarian: antikvitás (hu), ókor (hu)
Ido: antiqueso (io)
Italian: antichità (it) f
Japanese: 昔 (ja) (むかし, mukashi), 古代 (ja) (こだい, kodai)
Korean: 고대 (ko) (godae)
Latin: antīquitās f
Latvian: senatne f
Luxembourgish: Antiquitéit f
Maori: pāhake, whakapata, nehe, neherā, tua whakarere
Middle English: antiquyte
Polish: antyk (pl) m, starożytność (pl) f
Portuguese: antiguidade (pt) f
Romanian: antichitate (ro) f
Russian: дре́вность (ru) f (drévnostʹ), старина́ (ru) f (stariná)
Serbo-Croatian: antika (sh) f
Slovak: starovek (sk) m
Spanish: antigüedad (es) f
Swedish: antiken (sv) c, forntid (sv) c
Ukrainian: давнина́ (davnyná), старовина́ f (starovyná)

the ancients

Czech: antika (cs) f
French: Antiquité (fr) f
Galician: antigüidade (gl) f
Greek: αρχαιότητα (el) f (archaiótita), αρχαίοι (el) m pl (archaíoi)
Hungarian: ókoriak
Portuguese: antiguidade (pt) f
Serbo-Croatian: antika (sh) f

old gentleman

historical

relic or monument of ancient times

Catalan: antiguitat (ca) f
French: antiquité (fr) f
Galician: antigüidade (gl) f
Hungarian: antikvitás (hu), régiség (hu)
Portuguese: antiguidade (pt) f
Swedish: antikvitet (sv) c

the historical period preceding the Middle Ages

the state of being ancient or of ancient lineage

Polish: antyczność f