ancient¹

[eyn-shuh nt] /ˈeɪn ʃənt/

adjective

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:

an ancient folk tale.

being old in wisdom and experience; venerable.

old-fashioned or antique.

noun

a person who lived in ancient times.

one of the classical writers of antiquity.

a very old or aged person, especially if venerable or patriarchal.

ancients.

the civilized peoples, nations, or cultures of antiquity, as the Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, and Egyptians (usually preceded by the).
the writers, artists, and philosophers of ancient times, especially those of Greece and Rome.

Origin

1300-50; Middle English auncien < Anglo-French; Old French ancien < Vulgar Latin *antiānus, equivalent to Latin ante(ā) before (see ante-) + -ānus -an; late Middle English forms with -t- developed by confusion with the present participle ending -nt (see -ent)

Related forms

ancientness, noun

Synonyms

2, 3. 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. Antique suggests a curious or pleasing quality in something old: antique furniture. Old-fashioned may disparage something as being out of date or may approve something old as being superior: an old-fashioned hat; old-fashioned courtesy.

Antonyms

2, 3. new, modern.

ancient²

[eyn-shuh nt] /ˈeɪn ʃənt/

noun, Obsolete

the bearer of a flag.

a flag, banner, or standard; ensign.

Origin

1545-55; variant of ensign by confusion with ancient¹

Examples from the web for ancient

Lice from mummies provide clues to ancient migrations.
Play is not generally studied for its significance to ancient peoples.
The structure echoes ancient Athenian architecture without imitating it.
The national park has thousands of ancient archaeological sites.
Long reviled as a villain, Herod was one of the most imaginative builders of the ancient world.
It is the only ancient city ever built atop a coral reef.
In all, the ancient Maya constructed calendars extending trillions of years into the past and future.
As our survey progressed, however, we found no rivers cutting across the area to enter the ancient lake.
You are a famous archaeologist who specializes in ancient mummies.
The researchers unearthed an ancient granary.

British Dictionary definitions for ancient

ancient¹

/ˈeɪnʃənt/

adjective

dating from very long ago: ancient ruins

very old; aged

of the far past, esp before the collapse of the Western Roman Empire (476 ad) Compare medieval, modern

(law) having existed since before the time of legal memory

noun

(often pl) a member of a civilized nation in the ancient world, esp a Greek, Roman, or Hebrew

(often pl) one of the classical authors of Greek or Roman antiquity

(archaic) an old man

Derived Forms

ancientness, noun

Word Origin

C14: from Old French ancien, from Vulgar Latin anteanus (unattested), from Latin ante before

ancient²

/ˈeɪnʃənt/

noun (archaic)

a flag or other banner; standard

a standard-bearer; ensign

Word Origin

C16: changed from ensign through the influence of ancient1

Word Origin and History for ancient

adj.

mid-14c., auncyen, 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 *ant- "front, forehead;" see 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.

"standard-bearer," 1550s, a corruption of ensign. Archaic, but preserved in Shakespeare's character Aunchient Pistoll in "Henry V."