antiquity

Etymology

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.

noun

  1. Ancient times; faraway history; former ages
    Cicero was an eloquent orator of antiquity.
  2. The people of ancient times.
  3. (obsolete) An old gentleman.
  4. (history) The historical period preceding the Middle Ages (c. 500-1500), primarily relating to European history.
  5. (often constructed as an uncountable plural) A relic or monument of ancient times, such as a coin, a statue, etc.; an ancient institution.
  6. The state of being ancient or of ancient lineage.

Attribution / Disclaimer All definitions come directly from Wiktionary using the Wiktextract library. We do not edit or curate the definitions for any words, if you feel the definition listed is incorrect or offensive please suggest modifications directly to the source (wiktionary/antiquity), any changes made to the source will update on this page periodically.