ancient
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L316273 on Wikidata ↗adjective
- time long past; of antiquity
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/ / /ˈeɪn.t͡ʃənt/ / /ˈeɪŋk.ʃənt/
adj
Etymology: 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.
- Having lasted from a remote period; having been of long duration; of great age, very old.
“an ancient city”
“an ancient forest”
- 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”
“an ancient empire”
- Relating to antiquity as a primarily European historical period; the time before the Middle Ages.
- Experienced; versed.
“approved by the consent of the moste ancient doctors of the Churche [part of the book title]”
- Former; sometime.
“They mourned their ancient leader lost.”
noun
Etymology: Corruption of ensign.
- 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, […]”
“I got all things ready as he had directed, and waited the next morning with the boat washed clean, her ancient and pendants out, and everything to accommodate his guests..”
- 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 gluttons dogs licked his ſores, and ſuch as indeed were neuer ſouldiours, […]”