1. ancient(n = noun.person) antediluvian - a very old person;
is a kind of golden ager, old person, oldster, senior citizen
Derived form adjective ancient2
2. ancient(n = noun.person) - a person who lived in ancient times;
is a kind of individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul
Derived form adjective ancient1
1. ancient(s = adj.all) - 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 Sumerians"; "ancient Greece"
Derived forms noun ancient2, noun ancientness1
2. ancient(s = adj.all) - very old; "an ancient mariner"
Derived forms noun ancient1, noun ancientness1
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
"Witness those ancient empires of the earth." [1913 Webster]
"Gildas Albanius . . . much ancienter than his namesake surnamed the Wise." [1913 Webster]
2. Old; that has been of long duration; of long standing; of great age; as, an ancient forest; an ancient castle. Shak. [1913 Webster]
"Remove not the ancient landmarks, which thy fathers have set." [1913 Webster]
"An ancient man, strangely habited, asked for quarters." [1913 Webster]
3. Known for a long time, or from early times; -- opposed to
"A friend, perhaps, or an ancient acquaintance." [1913 Webster]
4. Dignified, like an aged man; magisterial; venerable. [1913 Webster]
"He wrought but some few hours of the day, and then would he seem very grave and ancient." [1913 Webster]
5. Experienced; versed. [1913 Webster]
"Though [he] was the youngest brother, yet he was the most ancient in the business of the realm." [1913 Webster]
6. Former; sometime. [1913 Webster]
"They mourned their ancient leader lost." [1913 Webster]
1. Those who lived in former ages, as opposed to the
2. An aged man; a patriarch. Hence: A governor; a ruler; a person of influence. [1913 Webster]
"The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof." [1913 Webster]
3. A senior; an elder; a predecessor. [1913 Webster]
"Junius and Andronicus . . . in Christianity . . . were his ancients." [1913 Webster]
4. One of the senior members of the Inns of Court or of Chancery. [1913 Webster]
1. An ensign or flag. [1913 Webster]
"More dishonorable ragged than an old-faced ancient." [1913 Webster]
2. The bearer of a flag; an ensign. [1913 Webster]
"This is Othello's ancient, as I take it." [1913 Webster]
ancient, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 of long ago.
2 having lived or existed long.
--n. archaic an old man.
Idiom:
ancient history
1 the history of the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean area and the Near East before the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476.
2 something already long familiar. ancient lights a window that a neighbour may not deprive of light by building. ancient monument Brit. an old building etc. preserved usu. under Government control. the ancients the people of ancient times, esp. the Greeks and Romans.
Derivative:
ancientness n.
ancient, n. archaic = ENSIGN.
Etymology:
corrupt. of form ensyne etc. by assoc. with ancien = ANCIENT(1)
N oldness, age, antiquity, cobwebs of antiquity, maturity, decline, decay, senility, seniority, eldership, primogeniture, archaism, thing of the past, relic of the past, megatherium, Sanskrit, tradition, prescription, custom, immemorial usage, common law, old, ancient, antique, of long standing, time-honored, venerable, elder, eldest, firstborn, prime, primitive, primeval, primigenous, paleolontological, paleontologic, paleoanthropological, paleoanthropic, paleolithic, primordial, primordinate, aboriginal, diluvian, antediluvian, protohistoric, prehistoric, antebellum, colonial, precolumbian, patriarchal, preadamite, paleocrystic, fossil, paleozoolical, paleozoic, preglacial, antemundane, archaic, classic, medieval, Pre-Raphaelite, ancestral, black-letter, immemorial, traditional, prescriptive, customary, whereof the memory of man runneth not to the contr, inveterate, rooted, antiquated, of other times, rococo, of the old school, after-age, obsolete, out of date, out of fashion, out of it, stale, old-fashioned, behind the age, old-world, exploded, gone out, gone by, passe, run out, senile, time worn, crumbling, secondhand, old as the hills, old as Methuselah, old as Adam, old as history, Archeozoic, Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic, Precambrian, Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Tertiary, Paleogene, Neocene, Quaternary, Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene, Recent, since the world was made, since the year one, since the days of Methuselah, vetera extollimus recentium incuriosi.
N indication, symbolism, symbolization, semiology, semiotics, semeiology, semeiotics, Zeitgeist, characteristic, diagnostic, lineament, feature, trait, fingerprint, voiceprint, footprint, noseprint, cloven hoof, footfall, recognition (memory), diagnostic, divining rod, detector, sign, symbol, index, indice, indicator, point, pointer, exponent, note, token, symptom, dollar sign, dollar mark, type, figure, emblem, cipher, device, representation, epigraph, motto, posy, gesture, gesticulation, pantomime, wink, glance, leer, nod, shrug, beck, touch, nudge, dactylology, dactylonomy, freemasonry, telegraphy, chirology, byplay, dumb show, cue, hint, clue, clew, key, scent, signal, signal post, rocket, blue light, watch fire, watch tower, telegraph, semaphore, flagstaff, cresset, fiery cross, calumet, heliograph, guidon, headlight, mark, scratch, line, stroke, dash, score, stripe, streak, tick, dot, point, notch, nick, print, imprint, impress, impression, keyboard symbols, printing symbols, red letter, italics, sublineation, underlining, bold font, jotting, note, annotation, reference, blaze, cedilla, guillemets, hachure, quotation marks, ", double quotes, " ", parentheses, "( )", brackets, "", braces, "", left arrow, "<", right arrow, ">", forward slash, "/", backward slash, "\", exclamation point, "!", commercial at, "@", pound sign, "#", percent sign, "%", carat, "", ampersand, "&", asterisk, "*", hyphen, "-", dash, "-", "_", em dash, "--", plus sign, "+", equals sign, "=", question mark, "?", period, ", ", semicolon, ", ", colon, ":", comma, ", ", apostrophe, "'", single quote, "'", tilde, "~", badge, criterion, countercheck, countermark, countersign, counterfoil, duplicate, tally, label, ticket, billet, letter, counter, check, chip, chop, dib, totem, tessera, card, bill, witness, voucher, stamp, cacher, trade mark, Hall mark, signature, mark, autograph, autography, attestation, hand, hand writing, sign manual, cipher, seal, sigil, signet, hand and seal, paraph, brand, superscription, indorsement, endorsement, password, watchword, catchword, security card, pass, passkey, credentials, open sesame, timbrology, mot de passe, mot du guet, pass-parole, shibboleth, title, heading, docket, address card, visiting card, carte de visite, insignia, banner, banneret, bannerol, bandrol, flag, colors, streamer, standard, eagle, labarum, oriflamb, oriflamme, figurehead, ensign, pennon, pennant, pendant, burgee, blue Peter, jack, ancient, gonfalon, union jack, banderole, old glory, quarantine flag, vexillum, yellow-flag, yellow jack, tricolor, stars and stripes, bunting, heraldry, crest, coat of arms, arms, armorial bearings, hatchment, escutcheon, scutcheon, shield, supporters, livery, uniform, cockade, epaulet, chevron, garland, love knot, favor, beacon, cairn, post, staff, flagstaff, hand, pointer, vane, cock, weathercock, guidepost, handpost, fingerpost, directing post, signpost, pillars of Hercules, pharos, bale-fire, beacon-fire, l'etoile du Nord, landmark, seamark, lighthouse, balize, polestar, loadstar, lodestar, cynosure, guide, address, direction, name, sign, signboard, warning, omen, prefigurement, trace, record, warning &c, alarm, scepter, trophy, gauge, milestone, milepost, brand, fool's cap, check, telltale, test, mileage ticket, milliary, notification, advertisement, word of command, call, bugle call, trumpet call, bell, alarum, cry, battle cry, rallying cry, angelus, reveille, sacring bell, sanctus bell, exposition &c (explanation), proof, pattern, indicating, indicative, indicatory, denotative, connotative, diacritical, representative, typical, symbolic, pantomimic, pathognomonic, symptomatic, characteristic, demonstrative, diagnostic, exponential, emblematic, armorial, individual, known by, recognizable by, indicated, pointed, marked, denotable, indelible, in token of, symbolically, in dumb show, ecce signum, ex ungue leonem, ex pede Herculem, vide ut supra, vultus ariete fortior.
ancient greek, ancient history, ancient pine, seven wonders of the ancient world