ancientn.2
arch.
1. An ensign, standard, or flag: pl. insignia, colours.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military organization > insignia > [noun] > flag, banner, or standard
senyec900
beaconOE
markOE
banner?c1225
here-markec1275
ensignc1400
standard?a1439
standard1497
armory1523
flag1530
handsenyie1545
ancient1554
labarum1563
antsign1571
ensign-staff1707
brattach1828
1554 in J. G. Nichols Chron. Grey Friars 87, I know that theys be Wyettes ancienttes.
1569 Rising in North 105 in Percy Rel. I. 293 Erle Percy there his ancyent spred.
1578 T. Nicholas tr. F. Lopez de Gómara Conquest W. India 23 The devise of this ensigne or auncient was flames of fire.
1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. xxii. 379 When Osyris led his people to Battell, hee had diuers Antesignes..as in one a Dog, in another an Oxe.
1610 Chesters Triumph Particulars sig. A3, A Man..carying an Auncient of our Colours of S. George.
1622 F. Markham Five Decades Epist. of Warre ii. ix. 73 This Ensigne we corruptly call Antient, and I haue seene it written Antesigne.
1629 tr. S. Pelegromius Descr. S'hertogenbosh 48 To let flye all their Ancients as well vpon the gates, as the walles.
1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World i. 36 Hang out a Signal, viz., a Red Antient, on the Mizen top.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Antient, is also the Flag, or Streamer born in the Stern of a Ship.
1850 H. Miller Scenes & Legends N. Scotl. (ed. 2) xv. 223 Her ancient suspended half-way over the deck.
2. A standard-bearer, an ‘ensign.’ (The full name was ancient-bearer: see below.)
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > soldier with special duty > [noun] > standard-bearer
gonfaneura1250
banneour1297
bannerer1387
standarda1425
banner-bearerc1440
standard-bearerc1453
stander bearerc1475
bannerman?a1500
gonfanonera1500
bannereta1513
pendant bearer1552
ancient-bearer1579
ensign1579
ensign-bearer1579
alferez1581
gonfalonier1586
guidon1591
abanderado1598
ancient1600
porte-guidon1656
vexillary1656
pennona1661
colour sergeant1813
1600 Shakespeare Henry V iii. vi. 17 His name is ancient [1623 aunchient] Pistoll.
1600 Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 ii. iv. 108 Welcome ancient Pistoll. View more context for this quotation
1642 T. Fuller Holy State iii. xv. 191 To see the flesh of an Ancient as torn as his Colours.
1720 J. Strype Stow's Survey of London (rev. ed.) II. v. xxxi. 457/2 Their first elected Auntient, or Ensign-Bearer.
1830 G. P. R. James Darnley xxxviii. 170 The banner of their company by their own ancient.]
Compounds
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > soldier with special duty > [noun] > standard-bearer
gonfaneura1250
banneour1297
bannerer1387
standarda1425
banner-bearerc1440
standard-bearerc1453
stander bearerc1475
bannerman?a1500
gonfanonera1500
bannereta1513
pendant bearer1552
ancient-bearer1579
ensign1579
ensign-bearer1579
alferez1581
gonfalonier1586
guidon1591
abanderado1598
ancient1600
porte-guidon1656
vexillary1656
pennona1661
colour sergeant1813
1579 in J. Nichols Illustr. Antient Times Eng. (1797) 19 Paid to the soiers, the ansyant-bearer, and to him that played upon the drome £17s. 4d.
1591 R. Percyvall Bibliotheca Hispanica Dict. s.v. Alférez, An ancient-bearer, Signifer.
1606 Act 3 Jas. I c. 5 No Recusant conuict..shall beare any Office or Charge, as Captaine, Lieutenant, Corporall, Sergeant, Ancient-bearer.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1884; most recently modified version published online November 2010).
ancientadj.n.1
/ˈeɪnʃnt/, U.S. /ˈeɪn(t)ʃənt/α. Middle English ancien, Middle English ancyen, Middle English ansyen, Middle English anxien, Middle English auncian, Middle English aunciande, Middle English auncien, Middle English aunciene, Middle English auncienne, Middle English auncion, Middle English auncyen, Middle English auncyenne, Middle English aunsion, late Middle English awcien (transmission error), 1500s auncenne, 1500s auncyoun, 1900s– ainshen (U.S. regional (in African-American usage)); Scottish pre-1700 anceane, pre-1700 anchen, pre-1700 ancien, pre-1700 anciene, pre-1700 ancienne, pre-1700 ancyane, pre-1700 anseane.
β. late Middle English auntceaunt, late Middle English avncyante, late Middle English avnschenyd, late Middle English awnschenyd, late Middle English 1600s aunceaunt, late Middle English–1500s auncyente, late Middle English–1500s awncyent, late Middle English–1600s ancyent, late Middle English–1600s aunciente, late Middle English–1600s auncyent, late Middle English–1600s awncient, late Middle English–1600s (1800s English regional) auncient, late Middle English– ancient, 1500s anncyent, 1500s aunciante, 1500s aunncient, 1500s aunncyent, 1500s aunsient, 1500s auntiant, 1500s awncyente, 1500s awnsient, 1500s–1600s anchent, 1500s–1600s anncient, 1500s–1600s annciente, 1500s–1600s aunceant, 1500s–1600s aunchent, 1500s–1600s aunciant, 1500s–1600s auntient, 1500s– antient (now archaic and poetic), 1600s anshent, 1600s auntientt, 1700s auntyante; Scottish pre-1700 anceant, pre-1700 anceyant, pre-1700 anchant, pre-1700 ancheant, pre-1700 anchent, pre-1700 anchiant, pre-1700 anchient, pre-1700 anciant, pre-1700 ancyane, pre-1700 ancyant, pre-1700 anscient, pre-1700 antiant, pre-1700 aunceant, pre-1700 aunciant, pre-1700 auntiaunt, pre-1700 1700s– ancient, pre-1700 1700s– antient (now archaic and poetic), pre-1700 1700s– auncient, pre-1700 1800s auntient, 1800s anshint (Shetland), 1900s– anshent (Banffshire); also Irish English (northern) 1800s anncient, 1800s anshent, 1800s– encient.
A. adj.
I. Having lived or existed for a (very) long time.
1.
a. Of a person or other living thing: that has lived for many years; very old, aged.Now chiefly hyperbolical or humorous when used of people.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > age > old age > [adjective] > old (of beings, etc.)
oldeOE
winteredeOE
oldlyOE
over-oldOE
eldernc1175
at-oldc1200
stricken on, in age, in eldec1380
oldlya1382
(well, far, etc.) stepped in age, in or into yearsc1386
ancientc1400
aged1420
well-agedc1450
ripec1480
passing oldc1485
(well) shot in years1530
old aged1535
agey1547
Ogygian1567
strucken1576
oldish1580
stricken in yearsa1586
declined1591
far1591
struck1597
Nestorian1605
overripe1605
elderly1611
eld1619
antiquated1631
enaged1631
thorough-old1639
emerita1643
grandevous1647
magnaevous1727
badgerly1753
(as) old as the hills1819
olden days1823
crusted1833
long in the tooth1841
oldened1854
mature1867
over the hill1950
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1001 Þe olde auncian wyf heȝest ho sytteȝ.
1477 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Hist. Jason (1913) 61 King Eson of Mirmidone..yet liueth..but he is moche auncient.
a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1957) iv. viii. 69 The ancyant aik tre.
1621 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy i. ii. iv. vii. 216 A young Gentlewoman..was maried,..to an ancient man against her will.
1795 Sewel's Hist. Quakers (ed. 3) I. Pref. 10 Things, which some ancient people had yet remembrance of.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 663 An ancient matron of the Anabaptist persuasion.
1895 R. Lydekker Royal Nat. Hist. V. iii. 57 In the Artillery barracks of Port Louis in the Mauritius, there lives a very ancient tortoise.
1990 Horse & Pony 13 Sept. 47 Paul was allowed to go with his mates as he's so OLD now (19! Absolutely ancient.)
2011 Express (Nexis) 21 Sept. 41 The beech, which is registered with the Woodland Trust as an ancient tree,..is dangerous to traffic.
b. Of a man-made thing or inanimate natural object: that has been in existence for a long time; very old.Sometimes with implication of resultant damage or dilapidation.In later use sometimes hyperbolical or humorous (see e.g. quot. 2011).In quot. ?1440: (of wine) aged (aged adj. 3).
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > oldness or ancientness > [adjective]
oldeOE
eldeda1400
antique1490
invetered1490
prisk1533
grey-headed1578
ancient1579
hoar1590
inveterated1597
antiquated1598
inveterate1598
long-dated1602
avital1611
vetust1623
old-standinga1627
grey-haired1637
superannuateda1644
avitous1731
old-established1776
venerable1792
timeworn1840
inworn1864
avitic1865
tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) xi. l. 364 Six sponful putte in fifty sester wyn Wol make hit auntceaunt appere & fyn [L. et uas pones in fumo].
1561 Bible (Geneva) Habakkuk iii. 6 The euerlasting mountaines were broken, (&) the ancient hilles did bowe.
1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning i. sig. F4v These times are the ancient times when the world is ancient, & not those which we count ancient..by a computation backward from our selues. View more context for this quotation
1647 J. Hall Poems i. 1 How better were it for you to remain (Poore Quires) in ancient raggs.
1719 E. Young Busiris i. 2 This ancient City, Memphis the Renown'd.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 378 Before the ancient front of All Souls College.
1979 New Scientist 22 Nov. 626/1 These gneisses are known to be among the most ancient rocks of the Earth's crust, dating from 3000-3700 million years ago.
2011 Independent 31 Jan. (Viewspaper section) 6/2 The clampers produced an ancient tow-truck within a few minutes and removed my car.
c. spec. In the United Kingdom: designating woodland that originated prior to 1600 (or 1750 in Scotland) and has been continuously wooded since that time. Esp. in ancient woodland.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > fertile land or place > land with vegetation > [adjective] > wooded > types of
bushya1382
ramagea1500
boskya1616
brakya1637
brushy1658
brushed1666
scrubbya1687
pine barrenc1721
bush-grown1837
stumpy1838
bush-skirted1858
bushed1868
bush-covered1873
bush-fringed1891
bush-clad1909
primary forest1909
1980 O. Rackham (title) Ancient woodland: its history, vegetation and uses in England.
1996 G. F. Peterken Nat. Woodland ii. 17 It is..relatively easy to show that a wood is ancient. The choice of the year 1600 to delimit ancient woods is not entirely arbitrary, for it is set at a time when planting was becoming common and when maps of woodlands were first generally available.
2007 Times 8 May 24/6 The Wyre Forest..one of the largest surviving areas of ancient semi-natural woodland left in England.
2. That originated or was established long ago; that has continued for a long time; long-established; long-standing. Also in weakened sense: persistent, enduring.Typically modifying abstract nouns, but also modifying nouns denoting physical objects where the type of object is referred to rather than any particular concrete example (see e.g. quots. 1584, 1907).See also ancient lights at light n.1 1e.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > oldness or ancientness > [adjective] > ancient or of early origin
oldeOE
olden daysa1400
for-oldc1400
ancient1475
(as) old as Adama1599
antiquary1599
high1601
primal1604
hoary1609
grandeval1650
Noachal1661
patriarchal1806
(as) old as the hills1819
world-old1837
eld1854
age-old1860
far-back1869
Noachian1874
pornial1883
1413–19 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 227 (MED) Sir Richard..putteth hem to fyne & raunsomme, ageyns her olde auncien custumes and vsages.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Baruch iv. A Thou people of God, o thou awncient Israel.
1584 T. Cogan Hauen of Health ii. 20 The harpe of all instrumentes is most auncient.
1653 H. Holcroft tr. Procopius Gothick Warre iv. 124 in tr. Procopius Hist. Warres Justinian To them ever the ancienter the things are, the truer they seem.
1708 J. Chamberlayne Magnæ Britanniæ Notitia (ed. 22) i. iii. i. 201 The Meeting of Sufferings, is one of the Ancientest Assemblies they have.
1791 W. Gilpin Remarks Forest Scenery II. 22 Besides these ancient officers of the forest, there is one of later institution.
a1854 H. Reed Lect. Eng. Hist. (1855) ii. 71 Contending for no new-born freedom, but for ancient rights.
1907 New Standard Encycl. II. at Boots and Shoes The sandal is the most ancient foot covering of which we have any record.
2002 T. Perrottet in Best Amer. Trav. Writing 288 Here we go, I thought—some cantankerous local was going to invoke his ancient property rights and charge a toll.
3. Of a person: having the experience and wisdom of age; venerable. Also (now chiefly) of such wisdom, experience, etc., itself.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > wise man, sage > [adjective] > venerable
ancienta1475
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. l. 867 (MED) Þer-in stod an awcien [read awncien] poete For to reherse by rethorikes swete Þe noble dedis.
1564 T. Becon Princ. Christian Relig. (1844) 521 The duty of old women is..to be sober, sage, and ancient.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) v. i. 66 You seeme a sober ancient Gentleman by your habit. View more context for this quotation
1752 S. Johnson Rambler No. 190. ⁋6 The precepts of ancient experience.
1850 Golden Man. 646 Infant, ancient in wisdom from thy Childhood.
1903 Lady's Realm 15 106 She laughed loudly, out of her ancient knowledge of the ways of men.
1997 Atlanta Jrnl.-Const. (Nexis) 21 Apr. 1 b I will ignore the offer of ‘a carefree garden’, knowing in my ancient wisdom that there's no such thing.
4. That has held a particular rank or position for a (relatively) long time. Also (now usually): that has had a specified relationship to a person or people for some time.With reference to rank or position, usually implying seniority.Now largely superseded by old adj. 13b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > oldness or ancientness > [adjective] > having lasted long > having lasted in some capacity
oldeOE
ancient1413
1461 in J. Raine Priory of Hexham (1864) I. App. p. c (MED) All your clergie be redy upon a day warnyng, in moost defensable wyse, to goo forth for the resistence of oure auncienne ennemyes the Scottes.
1598 R. Barret Theorike & Pract. Mod. Warres v. 180 Respect to be had to graue and ancient souldiers.
1627 in Boston Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 147 559/1 It shall begin with the ancientest Maister Mr Richard Mapes and soe after every Surgion in his antiquitye and degree in the Companie.
1679 J. Somerville Memorie Somervilles (1815) I. 222 The queen..encourages the souldiers..to unnest from that hold the ancient enemies of ther countrey.
1762 N. Tindal Contin. Rapin's Hist. Eng. (ed. 6) XVI. 291 He could not have the supreme command, both the earl of Galway and count Noyelles being much ancienter officers than he was.
1855 W. H. Prescott Hist. Reign Philip II I. iii. iv. 357 Granville now generously interceded in behalf of his ancient foe.
1968 W. A. Hachten Supreme Court on Freedom of Press 307 The press has re-won battles against its ancient enemies.
2011 Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City) (Nexis) 19 Sept. Ken Bullock, an ancient friend, asked me to come..and say a few words.
5. Designating a style or character belonging to a much earlier time; of or relating to such a style; old-fashioned, archaic, antiquated.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > oldness or ancientness > [adjective] > old-fashioned or antiquated
moth-frettenOE
antiquate?a1425
antique?1532
rusty1549
moth-eaten1551
musty1575
worm-eatenc1575
overyear1584
out of date1589
old-fashioned1592
out of date1592
worm-eat1597
old-fashion1599
ancient1601
outdated1616
out-of-fashion1623
over-aged1623
superannuateda1634
thorough-old1639
overdateda1641
trunk-hosea1643
antiquitated1645
antiquated1654
out-of-fashioned1671
unmodern1731
of the old school1749
auld-farrant1750
old-fangled1764
fossila1770
fogram1772
passé1775
unmodernized1775
oxidated1791
moss-covered1792
square-toeda1797
old-fashionable1807
pigtail1817
behind the times1826
slow1827
fossilized1828
rococo1836
antiquish1838
old-timey1850
out of season1850
moss-grown1851
old style1858
antiqued1859
pigtaily1859
prehistoric1859
backdated1862
played1864
fossiled1866
bygone1869
mossy-backed1870
old-worldly1878
past-time1889
outmoded1896
dated1900
brontosaurian1909
antiquey1926
horse-and-buggy1926
vintage1928
Neolithic1934
time-warped1938
demoded1941
steam age1941
hairy1946
old school1946
rinky-dink1946
time warp1954
Palaeolithic1957
retardataire1958
throwback1968
wally1969
antwacky1975
1574 J. Baret Aluearie O 70 Men curious in vsing old & auncient woordes..antiquarij homines.
1601 B. Jonson Every Man in his Humor iii. iv. sig. H2v I am glad no body was hurt by this auncient humour. View more context for this quotation
1727 D. Defoe Compl. Eng. Tradesman II. i. ii. 53 It is an odd Saying, as well as said in an odd (antient) Style, that a Tradesman should have Mother-Wit, but no Clergy.
1824 W. Irving Tales of Traveller I. 27 Her dress was of an ancient fashion, ample in volume, and sweeping the floor.
1922 Proc. Amer. Soc. Civil Engineers 48 518 What the speaker will call the ‘ancient’ system of individualism and the ‘modern’ system of socialization are to-day still traveling side by side.
2005 G. Jenkins Jenny's Son 30 I later came to loathe that phrase, ‘the curse’ [sc. menstruation], how ancient and old fashioned.
II. Relating to former times; belonging to the past; no longer current or extant.
6.
a. Of or belonging to the (very) distant past; made, done, or existing long ago. Also: designating a time or period long past.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > [adjective] > long-past or old
oldOE
ancient1366
yorec1400
antique1532
of yore1598
long-ago1603
far gone1829
way back1885
1413–19 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 225 Hire olde Custumarie, of olde auncien tyme made bi the kynges of England.
1477 Earl Rivers tr. Dictes or Sayengis Philosophhres (Caxton) (1877) lf. 65 If thou can not atteyn to the wysedom of auncient men at the lest studye..ther bookis.
1593 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie iv. ii. 173 The reuerend simplicity of auncienter tymes.
1632 in C. M. Ingleby & L. T. Smith Shakespeare's Cent. Prayse (1879) 190 To raise our auncient Soveraynes from their herse.
1728 R. Morris Ess. Anc. Archit. 20 How preferable the Beauties of ancient Architecture are to the illegal Practices of our modern Builders.
1777 W. Dalrymple Trav. Spain & Portugal xl Many antient weapons of war.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. §23. 163 I..traced the action of ancient glaciers.
1970 W. L. Morton in G. Lynch & D. Rampton Canad. Ess. (1991) 106 The antiquity of the Northmen's ventures..necessarily make the ancient voyages seem at best mere marginalia to an essentially different story.
2004 Asheville Citizen-Times (Nexis) 2 Feb. 3 b How carefully did ancient Maya priest-astronomers track Venus across the night sky.
b.
(a) spec. Of or belonging to the period of history before the fall of the Western Roman Empire in a.d. 476 (esp. with reference to the civilizations of the Mediterranean area and the Near East). Cf. classical adj. 1b.Often contrasted with medieval (medieval adj. 1a) and modern (modern adj. 2a).
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > historical period > [adjective] > of Greek or Roman antiquity
classic1597
ancient1605
Constantinian1641
classical1691
post-classical1851
pre-classical1860
pre-Roman1863
post-Roman1865
preclassic1869
Hadrianic1886
Protogeometric1914
sub-Roman1932
c1450 (c1440) S. Scrope in tr. C. de Pisan Epist. of Othea (Longleat) (1904) 4 Grovndyed and also exempled by experiens and by auctorite of the auncient philosophurs.
a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1959) viii. iv. l. 4 The Grekis ancyane.
1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning i. sig. E2v The ancient Authors..began..to be read. View more context for this quotation
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica v. xxii. 330 The nominal observation of the several dayes of the week..is very high, and as old as the ancient Egyptians.
1705 J. Addison Remarks Italy Pref. sig. A3 Statuary and Architecture both Ancient and Modern.
1786 J. Gillies Hist. Anc. Greece I. v. 179 As accent regulated the melody, quantity regulated the rhythm of ancient music.
1833 H. Ellis Elgin Marbles I. i. 1 The remains of antient art at Athens.
1871 S. Smiles Character ix. 262 There [i.e. at Rome], the virtus or valour of the ancient Romans has..degenerated into vertu, or a taste for knicknacks.
1900 P. Orsi Mod. Italy ii. 45 It was then that the Parthenopæan Republic—so-called from the ancient name of the city—was proclaimed at Naples.
1944 E. Lucas in R. Greenhalgh Pract. Builder ii. 80/1 A type of architecture which follows the formal classic style of ancient Greece and Rome.
2006 O. Olsen et al. Templar Papers iv. 120 The Abraxas has been found on Hellenistic magic papyri, and on ancient and medieval amulets.
(b) Concerning or relating to this period of history, esp. as a subject of study.Recorded earliest in ancient history n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [noun] > experience or event by which one is affected > ancient history (of a person)
ancient history1566
ancient1595
society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > historical narrative > [noun] > history as a branch of knowledge
historya1450
ancient history1566
ancient1595
social history1814
1566 J. Rastell Treat.: Beware of M. Iewel ii. iii. sig. Q There needeth not a Texte for their praise, owt of the Scriptures or Auncient Historie.
a1657 W. Burton Comm. Antoninus his Itinerary (1658) 180 William Somner,..who for his Courtesie, and love to antient studies, I singularly respect.
1740 S. Johnson in Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 612 Antient or modern Geography.
1853 Encycl. Brit. II. 444/1 The ancient historians take notice of the Albanian men as tall, strong-bodied, and..of a very graceful appearance.
a1969 C. J. Gadd in I. E. S. Edwards Cambr. Anc. Hist. (1971) I. xix. 439 The last name [sc. Meluhha] has long provided one of the enigmas of ancient geography.
2000 Class. Philol. 95 487 Much ancient research is helped, even dominated, by ancient memory-techniques.
7. † b. Designating a person formerly holding some position or having a specified relationship with another. Cf. old adj. 12a. Obsolete.
a. Esp. of a state, condition, or experience: occurring or existing in the past; former, bygone; (of an act, transaction, etc.) done or carried out in the past; earlier. Now somewhat archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > [adjective]
formerc1160
apassedc1314
past1340
preterite1340
eldera1400
elderna1400
eldernlya1400
bygone1424
bypast1452
ancient1490
by-runa1522
bywenta1522
spent1528
departed1552
forepassed1557
preter1578
by-come1592
worn-out1594
preterlapsed1599
foregone1609
worna1616
elapseda1644
lapsed1702
surpassed1725
gone-by1758
back1808
old-time1865
by-flown1884
1463–5 Rolls of Parl.: Edward IV (Electronic ed.) Parl. Apr. 1463 §18. m. 5 The citees, burghs and tounes..fallen into grete and piteous declyne,..mowe..be multiplied inhabitacions and restored to their auncien joye.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Boke yf Eneydos xi. sig. D.i The delycyouse traces of myn auncyent loue.
a1547 King Henry VIII in Wyatt's Wks. (1816) II. 405 They shall not be prejudicial or hurtful to our ancient amities and conventments already concluded.
1605 R. B. in R. Verstegan Restit. Decayed Intelligence Commend. Verses sig. ††8 Industrious then Verstiegan, forwards stygh, Raise vp thy nations ancient woorthy fame.
1647 J. Lilburne Recantation 7 The new out of the perversion, the corruption of the ancient Government.
1678 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress (ed. 2) 144 Thy countenance brings to my remembrance, thy ancient kindneβ.
1792 T. Jefferson Writings (1859) III. 347 Congress would take it off your hands, in compliance with an ancient vote of that body.
1846 J. K. Polk Let. 7 Aug. in Compil. Messages & Papers of Presidents (1897) 459 Empowered to..heal all dissensions among the Cherokees and restore them to their ancient condition of peace and good brotherhood.
1997 J. Sherman & S. Shwartz Vulcan's Forge xix. 178 My shipmates, you are no doubt aware of the new fleet and of the praetor's plans to restore our ancient glories.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adjective] > former (of persons)
umquhile1431
old1435
quondam1547
ancient1681
ci-devant1790
ex1823
former1905
past1915
?1556 N. Smyth tr. Herodian Hist. ii. f. xviiv A man..whose valyaunte prowesse, you that are aunciente Souldiors, haue by experience knowen.
1653 F. G. tr. ‘G. de Scudéry’ Artamenes I. ii. ii. 91 A man which heretofore had served Andramias,..desired to speak with his ancient Master.
1681 G. Vernon Life P. Heylin 26 He had been himself an ancient clerk in the old Convocations.
1715 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad I. ii. 863 They mourn'd their ancient Leader lost.
1825 W. Scott Tales of Crusaders III. 42 Her father, an ancient soldier of the Cross..saw no other refuge for his daughter's honour than to place her within the shadow of the cloister.
1885 H. M. Stanley Congo I. xiv. 278 The next day Mr. Lindner appeared with twenty-four men, some of whom were ancient comrades of mine.
8. France ancient n. Heraldry the form of the arms of France before 1405 (see quot. 1969); opposed to France modern n. at modern adj. 5.
ΚΠ
1715 Ashmole's Hist. Inst. Order Garter 502 Richard of Bordeaux,..Quarterly France ancient and England.
1849 Norfolk Archaeol. 2 156 Semé of fleurs de lis, or; France ancient.
1969 J. Franklyn & J. Tanner Encycl. Dict. Heraldry 139/1 France Ancient, arms worn by the King of France until 1405 when the change was made to difference from the French quarter of the K. of England: azure semé-de-lys Or.
2017 P. Hardman & M. Ailes Legend Charlemagne in Medieval Eng. ii. 142 (caption) Charlemagne bearing France ancient.
B. n.1
1. A very old person or (occasionally) animal.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > person > old person > [noun]
oldeOE
morea1382
olderc1450
ancient1502
mouldy chopsa1640
antediluvian1648
prediluvian1690
emerit1710
pelt1757
old fogey1793
antique1801
relic1832
old head1838
oldster1846
elderling1863
the Ancient of Days1935
senior citizen1938
OAP1942
golden ager1948
coffin dodger1954
wrinkly1972
crumbly1976
geriatric1977
the world > animals > family unit > [noun] > male > old
ancient1502
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 948 (MED) An oþer lady hir lad..Þat watz alder þen ho, an auncian hit semed.
1502 tr. Ordynarye of Crysten Men (de Worde) ii. viii. sig. l.i v Those the whiche mocken with these auncyentes.
1661 R. Lovell Πανζωορυκτολογια, sive Panzoologicomineralogia 15 [Beavers] gnaw down trees to build with, and draw them on the bellies of their antients.
a1720 L. Milbourne Legacy Church of Eng. (1722) iv. 62 These Ancients or Old Men..were call'd, as Men of Prudence and Experience, to give an account of ancient Customs and Usages.
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison VI. ix. 30 Incomparable woman!.. If I were such an excellent ancient, I would no more wish to be young.
1814 R. Southey Roderick iii. 38 A venerable ancient, by his side A comely matron.
1939 ‘N. Blake’ Smiler with Knife ii. 29 Those extras, dressed up to look like rustic ancients for a British quota film.
2005 Trav. Afr. Autumn 55/1 Passing the time in idle conversation with leathery-faced ancients.
2. In plural (usually with the and frequently with capital initial).
a. People who lived in ancient times, esp. the ancient Greeks and Romans (cf. sense A. 6b(a)), considered collectively.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > [noun] > time long past or long ago > one who lived in ancient times
ancient?1541
antiques1553
c1475 tr. C. de Pisan Livre du Corps de Policie (Cambr.) (1977) 89 (MED) The olde auncientis [Fr. les anciens] peyntid the goddesse of lordeship.
?1541 R. Copland Galen's Fourth Bk. Terapeutyke sig. Fijv, in Guy de Chauliac's Questyonary Cyrurgyens All the auncyentes [Fr. tous les anciens] apply the sayd suppuratyfe medycynes.
1665 T. Manley tr. H. Grotius De Rebus Belgicis 287 The famousest Engine of War now used, of whose use, the Antients were utterly ignorant.
1741 I. Watts Improvem. Mind i. ii. 39 The doctrines of the antients.
1880 S. Haughton Six Lect. Physical Geogr. v. 211 To the Ancients the Nile appeared almost miraculous.
1972 tr. P. Nogier Treat. Auriculotherapy 19 Auricular therapy was not..a science which was unknown to the Ancients.
2006 D. G. Schwartz Roll Bones iv. 73 With no understanding of probability, the ancients were at a loss to explain precisely what the likelihood of a certain dice-cast might be.
b. spec. The classical writers of antiquity; the ancient Greek or Latin writers whose works are often held to be canonical. Also occasionally in singular. Cf. classic n. 2a.In quot. 1870 in extended use: an important writer, a ‘classic’ (classic n. 1a).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > literature > writer or author > [noun] > ancient writers
ancient1615
?1483 W. Caxton tr. Caton ii. sig. eiij The auncientes said that the souerayn wele of this world was in the helth of the body.
?1541 R. Copland Galen's Fourth Bk. Terapeutyke sig. F.j, in Guy de Chauliac's Questyonary Cyrurgyens Ye shal fynde that the auncyentes many tymes after the fyrste anone make mencyon of the thyrde, leuyng the myddylmoste.
1669 T. Gale Court of Gentiles: Pt. I iii. ii. 28 Amongst the Ancients, none have spent more elaborate studies herein than Eusebius.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones I. iii. iii. 166 He was deeply read in the Antients . View more context for this quotation
1763 J. Brown Diss. Poetry & Music §6. 135 The same respectable Ancient [sc. Plutarch] assures us, that [etc.].
1852 H. Holland Chapters Mental Physiol. xi. 246 The precaution suggested by one of the wisest of the ancients..is applicable to every age of philosophy.
1953 W. R. Trask tr. E. R. Curtius European Lit. ii. xiii. 490 He..considers that the ancients had loaded down their poetic narratives with a superfluity of similes, rhetorical figures, and digressions.
2009 P. Glennie & N. Thrift Shaping Day iii. 87 Some of the drills developed by Maurice of Orange from ancients like Aelianus and Vegetius..can lay claim to being the first time-and-motion studies.
3. Usually in plural (with the). A person, typically a man, having authority in some domain on the grounds of age and experience; a member of a governing body or class chosen on this basis; an elder. Now chiefly historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > office > holder of office > [noun] > senior
ealdormanOE
seniorc1380
elder1382
seneka1400
ancient1534
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > title > title or form of address for persons of rank > [noun] > for an elder
ancient1534
c1475 tr. C. de Pisan Livre du Corps de Policie (Cambr.) (1977) 122 (MED) The childyrn of Romayns profyted..by good examples that was shewed theim by the olde auncientes [Fr. les anciens].
a1535 T. More Treat. Passion in Wks. (1557) 1299/1 Than gathered there together the prynces of the priestes and the auncientes, into the Palyce of..Caiphas.
1611 Bible (King James) Jer. xix. 1 Take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the Priestes. View more context for this quotation
1708 E. Hatton New View London II. 480/2 The Vestry..is..composed of the Ancients of the Parish, who have passed Churchwarden.
1796 W. Seward Anecd. Distinguished Persons IV. 145 The Jesuits who taught school kept registers of the characters of their scholars, which they occasionally sent to their Antients and their General.
1860 B. B. Thatcher Indian Biogr. I. 38 The Sachem sent some of his ancients, or counsellors, to excuse the intrusion.
1921 Asia & Amer. 21 594/2 My bed—a quilt laid on the floor by an ancient of the temple as we sat about—was not symmetrical.
2003 P. Collinson et al. Conf. & Combination Lect. in Elizabethan Church 127 The whole tenor of this document..suggests that it was clerical in composition..and put in front of the ‘ancients’ of the town, rather than generated by them.
4. Usually in plural and with possessive adjective. A member of an earlier generation of a person's family or people; a person's ancestor or forebear. Now somewhat archaic.In later use usually without the idea of blood relationship, however remote.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > ancestor > [noun]
elder-fathereOE
fatherOE
elder971
alderOE
eldfatherOE
forme-fadera1200
ancestorc1300
grandsirec1300
aiela1325
belsirea1325
predecessora1325
forefather1377
morea1382
progenitorc1384
antecessorc1400
forn-fatherc1460
forebear1488
ancient1540
antecestrec1550
fore-grandsirec1550
grandfather1575
ascendant1604
forerunnera1616
ancienter1654
tupuna1845
?1529 R. Hyrde tr. J. L. Vives Instr. Christen Woman i. vi. sig. F.iiijv The aunciante of his stocke is before ye makyng of ye worlde.
1603 H. Crosse Vertues Common-wealth sig. D1 Can a man..brag of the Vertues of his auncients, if his owne life be vitious?
1649 Bp. J. Hall Humble Motion to Parl. 6 Our Ancients were Gyants, and we are Dwarfs.
a1776 J. Griffith Jrnl. Work of Ministry (1779) 381 We found very little..of that simplicity and self-denial, so conspicuous in our antients.
1898 Frank Leslie's Pop. Monthly July 109/1 We will not give up the traditions of our ancients in whatever they were wise.
1903 Brahmavâdin May 281 The old Satwik life of our ancients has lost much of its attraction and veneration.
2011 A. Kornhaber Rosie's Miracle i. 15 The place is loaded with spirits: my ancients for one. And many of your people as well.
5. Usually with possessive adjective. A superior in age or (occasionally) experience; a person's senior. rare after 18th cent.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > person > senior person > [noun]
elderc1175
seniorc1380
elder mana1387
older1484
ancient1548
dad?1576
doyen1670
dean1687
daddy1877
key man1895
doyenne1905
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Mark ix. f. 34 They sawe howe Peter had the preeminence..yet sum of theim were his auncients [L. illo natu maiores].
1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) II. 965/2 Gower was a great deale his [sc. Chaucer's] auncient.
a1645 D. Featley in T. Fuller Abel Redevivus (1651) 477 Reinolds was..bred up in the same Colledge..with Jewel his auncient & reverend Hooker his contemporary.
1762 B. F. E. tr. M.-A. Marin Perfect Relig. iii. xxx. 246 If you are her ancient, you ought to have acquired more virtue than she, & you ought to set her an example of it.
1941 W. Lewis Vulgar Streak i. i. 12 They had only taken a few steps when Vincent plucked his ancient by the sleeve.
6. English Law. Any of the senior members forming the governing body of an Inn of Court or Chancery. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal profession > lawyer > [noun] > member of Inns of Court
fellow1454
bencher1507
reader1507
ancient1563
Templar1588
cupboard-mana1632
special pleader1727
1562–3 Act 5 Eliz. c. 1 in Statutes of Realm (1819) IV. 403 Aswell utter Barresters as Benchers Readers Auncientes in any Howse or Howses of Courte.
1685 London Gaz. mmx/6 From the Principal, Antients, and the rest of the Gentlemen of the Society of Bernards-Inn, London.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) The Society of Grays-Inn, consists of Benchers, Antients, Barristers, and Students under the Bar: the Antients are the Elder Barristers.
1887 Ann. Reg. 1886 55 Staple Inn, Holborn..sold by auction by the ‘Ancients’ of the Inn to the Prudential Assurance Company for 68,000l.
1903 19th Cent. Sept. 448 Dinners given by the Ancients of the Inn.
2002 M. McGlynn Royal Prerogative & Learning Inns of Court Introd. 17 In Gray's Inn..members became ancients through a formal call or election, and the readers at that Inn were drawn exclusively from the ancients.
7. With the. That which is ancient (in various senses of the adjective); (with plural agreement) ancient people or things as a class. Frequently contrasted with modern.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > person > old person > [noun] > old people collectively
morea1382
old folkc1385
aged1535
ancientry1548
olds1883
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. lxi. 136 The auncient it may be were too seuere.
1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 210 In fame it [sc. Sidon] contendeth with Tyrus..and is more celebrated by the Ancient.
1756 E. Burke Vindic. Nat. Society 80 Some were allured by the modern, others reverenced the antient.
1875 W. Stubbs Constit. Hist. III. xviii. 238 Henry wished to be..counselled by the wise and ancient of the kingdom.
1922 South Atlantic Q. July 268 They are full of an impersonal pathos, and reverence of return to the ancient of the race.
1997 V. A. Conley Ecopolitics viii. 128 Can it be said that the ancient is the most modern? Can we reconnect with Greek myth where a lapsarian event initiated the process of history?
2010 Newstex Blogs: Daily Pundit (Nexis) 7 Nov. Now that the ancient are on Facebook, where will the trendy crowd go?
Phrases
Ancient of Days.
a. Chiefly with the. (A title of) God, esp. as an eternal being. Later also of other gods.Frequently with reference to Daniel 7:7, 9, 13, and 22: see quot. 1560. [After post-classical Latin antiquus dierum (Vulgate), itself after biblical Aramaic ʿattīq yōmīn (Daniel 7; < ʿattīq advanced, aged + yōmīn , construct state plural of yōm day (cognate with Hebrew yōm : see Yom Kippur n.)).]
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > [noun] > name of > scriptural name(s)
AdonaiOE
Sabaotha1325
Lord (God) of Hosts1382
Jehovah1530
I AM1539
Jah1539
the Ancient of Days1560
Elohim1605
Shaddaia1631
seven names of God1657
Yahweh1869
Hashem1877
1560 Bible (Geneva) Dan. vii. 9 I beheld till the thrones were set vp, and the Ancient of dayes [ Wyclif elde, Coverdale olde aged] did sit.
1658 Sir T. Browne Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall Ep. Ded. sig. A3 And so run up your thoughts upon the ancient of dayes.
1748 London Mag. June 280/2 Thou, th' eternal source Of beauty and of light! Ancient of days!
1833 Sir R. Grant in E. Bickersteth Christian Psalmody 17 Our Shield and Defender—the Ancient of Days Pavilioned in splendour, and girded with praise.
1965 L. H. Gann Hist. S. Rhodesia iv. 129 Mlimo originally appears to have been regarded as some remote deus abscondidus, the Ancient of Days, who took no notice of tribal affairs.
2009 J. D. Hays et al. Dict. Biblical Prophecy & End Times (at cited word) Clearly John here asserts that Jesus, the heavenly Son of Man, is none other than the Ancient of Days.
b. In extended use (chiefly humorous). A very old person, animal, or thing. rare before 19th cent.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > oldness or ancientness > [noun] > something old
provect1630
the Ancient of Days1935
the world > people > person > old person > [noun]
oldeOE
morea1382
olderc1450
ancient1502
mouldy chopsa1640
antediluvian1648
prediluvian1690
emerit1710
pelt1757
old fogey1793
antique1801
relic1832
old head1838
oldster1846
elderling1863
the Ancient of Days1935
senior citizen1938
OAP1942
golden ager1948
coffin dodger1954
wrinkly1972
crumbly1976
geriatric1977
1652 G. Winstanley Law of Freedom in Platform 30 This Commonwealths Government may well be called the ancient of days; for it was before any other oppressing government crept in.
1834 Spain Yesterday & To-day v. 63 I would not exclude them [sc. pictures] from all churches, papa; only from such an ancient of days as this.
1935 T. E. Lawrence Let. 5 Apr. (1938) 867 I've only ridden the ancient-of-days twice this year.
1937 R. Kipling Something of Myself i. 10 I was shown an Ancient of Days who, I was told, was the Provost of Oriel.
2001 Church Times 25 May 11/2 This Ancient of Days had shown us glass slides on his magic lantern.
Compounds
C1.
a. With present participles, forming adjectives in which ancient expresses the complement of the underlying verb, as in ancient-looking, ancient-sounding, etc.
ΚΠ
1641 J. Milton Of Prelatical Episc. 20 To drinke from the mixt confluence of so many corrupt, and poysonous waters, as tradition would have perswaded him to by most ancient seeming authorities.
1846 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) iv. 27 He presently returned with a very ancient-looking bottle.
1902 W. N. Harben Abner Daniel v. 36 It was near the ancient-looking brick car-shed under which the trains of two main lines ran.
2005 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 30 Oct. ii. 34/2 He had invented a style at once ancient-sounding and contemporary.
b. Forming adjectives with the sense ‘that has an ancient ——’, by combining with a noun + -ed, as in ancient-faced, ancient-souled, etc.
ΚΠ
1862 Internat. Exhib.: Illustr. Catal. Industr. Dept. II. xxviii. §5183 Estimates for works of any extent, in either modern or ancient faced type, forwarded on application.
1898 E. Reeves Brown Men & Women viii. 222 Unstinted spirituous liquors and immorality in Papeëte demoralize the very sources of both ancient-customed and semi-civilized pure living in the whole Cook Group.
1922 M. Ashmun Support x. 225 The nurse displayed the child—a red, ancient-faced creature with a button mouth.
1993 Fort Collins (Colorado) Triangle Rev. 9 Sept. 16/3 Lisa Rosenhagen is an ancient-souled bride torn between primal lust and traditional duty.
C2.
ancient Greek n. the Greek language of antiquity, from the Mycenaean age (c. 1200 b.c.) until the start of the Byzantine period (c. 300 a.d.); spec. the form used in the classical period (cf. classical Greek n.).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [noun] > Indo-European > Greek > classical
the tongues1535
classical Greek1699
classical language1752
1583 W. Rainolds Refut. Sundry Reprehensions 398 They haue added [the clause] to their english testaments after Beza vpon the only authorite of our latin against al the auncient greeke.
1800 Trans. Royal Irish Acad. 7 365 Their letters written in modern Greek are easily to be understood by us, and differ from ancient Greek.
2004 Radio Times 8 May (Midlands ed.) 100/3 Denise..has paid Sarah to be her ‘doula’—ancient Greek for ‘handmaiden’.
ancient language n. a language spoken in ancient times, esp. one that is no longer in vernacular use; spec. any of the languages of classical antiquity, such as ancient Greek or Latin; opposed to modern language n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > a language > [noun] > living, dead, or archaic language
classical language1752
dead language1781
?1575 E. Hellowes tr. A. de Guevara Familiar Epist. (new ed.) 389 If we should speake of your auncient language,..we should likewise finde, that you haue not any thing left but lies... Whiche is he amongst you, that knoweth the language of your ancesters, either can reade, or else vnderstand, any of the auncient Hebruish bookes?
1797 E. Darwin Plan Conduct Female Educ. 45 The tedious acquirement of antient languages for the purpose of studying poetry and oratory.
1934 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. Luian,..an ancient language of the Hittite empire.
2007 Current Sci. 92 7/1 Hunt..knows several ancient languages, including Latin and Greek.
ancient mariner n. (also with capital initials) a person likened to the ancient mariner in Coleridge's poem (see note), esp. in being an insistent storyteller; frequently as a modifier.With allusion to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798), in which the mariner detains a man going to a wedding and tells him a haunting story about a sea voyage in which, following the mariner's unexplained act of killing an albatross, all the other crew members die; the mariner survives but is compelled to roam the earth recounting his story. Cf. albatross n. 1b.
ΚΠ
1867 M. E. Braddon Birds of Prey iv. i, in Belgravia Mar. 21 I thought of the luckless wedding guest in Coleridge's grim ballad as I sat listening to this modern-ancient mariner... For three mortal hours did I listen to my ancient mariner.
1930 Washington Post 6 Jan. 3/2 He had an Ancient-Mariner gleam in his bright and piercing eye and a forefinger crooked and calloused from prolonged buttonholing of unwilling victims.
1954 M. Tonge Sense of Living 31 In adulthood we too are ancient mariners who have begun to slough off the albatross that weighed us down.
2000 K. Atkinson Emotionally Weird (2001) 68 I was held captive by Professor Cousins' ancient mariner anecdotage as he embarked on a rambling story.
ancient regime n. (a) French History the system of government in France before the revolution of 1789; = ancien régime n. 1; (b) (in extended use) any political or social system that has been displaced by another; (also) any old or outmoded system or way of doing things; = ancien régime n. 2. [After French ancien régime ancien régime n.]
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > a or the system of government > specific regimes > [noun] > in France
reign of terror1784
ancient regime1792
ancien régime1794
terrorism1795
First Republic1800
White Terror1805
restoration1815
consulate1845
Red Terror1864
commune1871
marshalate1874
the world > time > relative time > the past > oldness or ancientness > [noun] > old-fashionedness > outdated system
old order1533
ancient regime1792
1792 G. Morris in J. Sparks Life G. Morris (1832) II. 195 The Aristocratic faction is split into two or more. Some are for absolute monarchy, some for the ancient regime, [etc.].
1810 T. Williamson E. India Vade-mecum II. 110 Persons who may have read of the ancient regime of Oriental hospitality.
1895 Cent. Mag. Aug. 514/2 Similar notions had not been foreign to the ancient régime, but England had prevented their fulfilment.
1901 F. Norris Octopus i. i. 48 It was..a note of the Old World; of the ancient régime.
1975 Hist. Jrnl. 18 65 Whereas most French villages of the ancient regime and before still had open assemblées..Provence..developed by the eighteenth century closed (though democratic) conseils.
2001 Brit. Jrnl. Hist. Sci. 34 11 He received the support of noteworthy fellows of the radical Zoological Club..all hostile to the Linnaean ancient regime.
ancient world n. the region around the Mediterranean and the Near East before the fall of the Western Roman Empire in a.d. 476. seven wonders of the ancient world: the seven monuments regarded as the most remarkable structures of ancient times; = the seven wonders of the world at wonder n. 1a.
ΚΠ
1577 J. Bishop Beautifull Blossomes viii. f. 32 They in the auncient worlde neuer vsed to haue aboue nine [persons at a feast].
1752 R. Frost Stars in Christ's Right-hand 6 The temple of Diana, accounted one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
1992 N.Y. Times Mag. 9 Feb. 66/1 The Romans..get a lot of credit for spreading viniculture around the ancient world.
2010 Times 1 May (Travel section) 28 (advt.) Meet your Tour Director..before proceeding to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Great Pyramids at Giza and their guardian Sphinx.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2022).
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n.21554
adj.n.1c1400