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ancient

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ancient


  4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Ancient  \An"cient\,  a.  [OE.  auncien  F.  ancien,  LL  antianus 
  fr  L.  ante  before  See  {Ante-},  pref.] 
  1.  Old  that  happened  or  existed  in  former  times,  usually  at 
  a  great  distance  of  time;  belonging  to  times  long  past; 
  specifically  applied  to  the  times  before  the  fall  of  the 
  Roman  empire;  --  opposed  to  {modern};  as  ancient  authors, 
  literature,  history;  ancient  days. 
 
  Witness  those  ancient  empires  of  the  earth. 
  --Milton. 
 
  Gildas  Albanius  .  .  .  much  ancienter  than  his 
  namesake  surnamed  the  Wise.  --Fuller. 
 
  2.  Old  that  has  been  of  long  duration;  of  long  standing;  of 
  great  age;  as  an  ancient  forest;  an  ancient  castle.  ``Our 
  ancient  bickerings.''  --Shak. 
 
  Remove  not  the  ancient  landmarks,  which  thy  fathers 
  have  set  --Prov.  xxii. 
  28. 
 
  An  ancient  man,  strangely  habited,  asked  for 
  quarters.  --Scott. 
 
  3.  Known  for  a  long  time,  or  from  early  times;  --  opposed  to 
  {recent}  or  {new};  as  the  ancient  continent. 
 
  A  friend,  perhaps,  or  an  ancient  acquaintance. 
  --Barrow. 
 
  4.  Dignified,  like  an  aged  man;  magisterial;  venerable. 
  [Archaic] 
 
  He  wrought  but  some  few  hours  of  the  day  and  then 
  would  he  seem  very  grave  and  ancient.  --Holland. 
 
  5.  Experienced;  versed.  [Obs.] 
 
  Though  [he]  was  the  youngest  brother,  yet  he  was  the 
  most  ancient  in  the  business  of  the  realm. 
  --Berners. 
 
  6.  Former;  sometime.  [Obs.] 
 
  They  mourned  their  ancient  leader  lost.  --Pope. 
 
  {Ancient  demesne}  (Eng.  Law),  a  tenure  by  which  all  manors 
  belonging  to  the  crown,  in  the  reign  of  William  the 
  Conqueror,  were  held.  The  numbers,  names  etc.,  of  these 
  were  all  entered  in  a  book  called  Domesday  Book. 
 
  {Ancient  lights}  (Law),  windows  and  other  openings  which  have 
  been  enjoined  without  molestation  for  more  than  twenty 
  years.  In  England,  and  in  some  of  the  United  States,  they 
  acquire  a  prescriptive  right 
 
  Syn:  Old  primitive;  pristine;  antique;  antiquated; 
  old-fashioned;  obsolete. 
 
  Usage:  {Ancient},  {Antiquated},  {Obsolete},  {Antique}, 
  {Antic},  {Old}.  --  Ancient  is  opposed  to  modern,  and 
  has  antiquity;  as  an  ancient  family,  ancient 
  landmarks,  ancient  institutions,  systems  of  thought, 
  etc  Antiquated  describes  that  which  has  gone  out  of 
  use  or  fashion;  as  antiquated  furniture,  antiquated 
  laws,  rules  etc  Obsolete  is  commonly  used  instead 
  of  antiquated,  in  reference  to  language,  customs, 
  etc.;  as  an  obsolete  word  or  phrase,  an  obsolete 
  expression.  Antique  is  applied,  in  present  usage, 
  either  to  that  which  has  come  down  from  the  ancients; 
  as  an  antique  cameo,  bust,  etc.;  or  to  that  which  is 
  made  to  imitate  some  ancient  work  of  art;  as  an 
  antique  temple.  In  the  days  of  Shakespeare,  antique 
  was  often  used  for  ancient;  as  ``an  antique  song,'' 
  ``an  antique  Roman;''  and  hence  from  singularity 
  often  attached  to  what  is  ancient,  it  was  used  in  the 
  sense  of  grotesque;  as  ``an  oak  whose  antique  root 
  peeps  out  ''  and  hence  came  our  present  word  antic, 
  denoting  grotesque  or  ridiculous.  We  usually  apply 
  both  ancient  and  old  to  things  subject  to  gradual 
  decay.  We  say  an  old  man,  an  ancient  record;  but 
  never  the  old  stars,  an  old  river  or  mountain.  In 
  general,  however,  ancient  is  opposed  to  modern,  and 
  old  to  new  fresh,  or  recent.  When  we  speak  of  a  thing 
  that  existed  formerly,  which  has  ceased  to  exist,  we 
  commonly  use  ancient;  as  ancient  republics,  ancient 
  heroes;  and  not  old  republics,  old  heroes.  But  when 
  the  thing  which  began  or  existed  in  former  times  is 
  still  in  existence,  we  use  either  ancient  or  old  as 
  ancient  statues  or  paintings,  or  old  statues  or 
  paintings;  ancient  authors,  or  old  authors,  meaning 
  books. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Ancient  \An"cient\,  n. 
  1.  pl  Those  who  lived  in  former  ages,  as  opposed  to  the 
  {moderns}. 
 
  2.  An  aged  man;  a  patriarch.  Hence:  A  governor;  a  ruler;  a 
  person  of  influence. 
 
  The  Lord  will  enter  into  judgment  with  the  ancients 
  of  his  people,  and  the  princes  thereof.  --Isa.  iii. 
  14. 
 
  3.  A  senior;  an  elder;  a  predecessor.  [Obs.] 
 
  Junius  and  Andronicus  .  .  .  in  Christianity  .  .  . 
  were  his  ancients.  --Hooker. 
 
  4.  pl  (Eng.  Law)  One  of  the  senior  members  of  the  Inns  of 
  Court  or  of  Chancery. 
 
  {Council  of  Ancients}  (French  Hist.),  one  of  the  two 
  assemblies  composing  the  legislative  bodies  in  1795. 
  --Brande. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Ancient  \An"cient\,  n.  [Corrupted  from  ensign.] 
  1.  An  ensign  or  flag.  [Obs.] 
 
  More  dishonorable  ragged  than  an  old-faced  ancient. 
  --Shak. 
 
  2.  The  bearer  of  a  flag;  an  ensign.  [Obs.] 
 
  This  is  Othello's  ancient,  as  I  take  it  --Shak. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  ancient 
  adj  1:  belonging  to  times  long  past  especially  of  the  historical 
  period  before  the  fall  of  the  Western  Roman  Empire; 
  "ancient  history";  "ancient  civilizations  such  as 
  those  of  the  Etruscans  and  Summarians" 
  2:  very  old  "an  ancient  mariner" 
  3:  belonging  to  or  lasting  from  times  very  long  ago;  "age-old 
  customs";  "Western  civilization  is  ancient";  "the  antique 
  fear  that  days  would  dwindle  away  to  complete  darkness" 
  [syn:  {age-old},  {antique}] 




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