antiquarian

[ an-ti-kwair-ee-uhn ]

adjective

1. pertaining to antiquaries or to the study of antiquities.
2. of, dealing in, or interested in old or rare books.

noun

1. an antiquary.
2. a size of drawing and writing paper, 31 × 53 or 29 × 52 inches.

antiquarian

/ ˌæntɪˈkwɛərɪən /

adjective

1. concerned with the study of antiquities or antiques

noun

1. the largest size of handmade drawing paper, 53 × 31 inches
2. a less common name for antiquary

Derived Forms

• ˌantiˈquarianism, noun

Other Words From

• anti·quari·an·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of antiquarian¹

1600–10; < Latin antīquāri ( us ) ( antiquary ) + -an

Example Sentences

The L.A. antiquarian Charles Fletcher Lummis called it the Land of Poco Tiempo in his 1893 book of the same name, depicting it as a real-life territory of lotus eaters, of indolent pleasure.

From Los Angeles Times

In 1836, Christian Jürgensen Thomsen, a Danish antiquarian, brought the first semblance of order to prehistory, suggesting that the early hominids of Europe had gone through three stages of technological development that were reflected in the production of tools.

From New York Times

The New York International Antiquarian Book Fair is the place to inspect some of the most exquisite rare books on the market.

From New York Times

As he scrolled through digitized newspapers from the American Antiquarian Society, he found a story titled “The Phantom.”

From Seattle Times

“It’s saying she’s really like … she’s hustling, right? She’s publishing a lot,” Chapnick said on a visit to the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, a national research library of pre-20th century American history and culture that has some of the stories Chapnick discovered in its collection as well as a first edition of “Little Women.”

From Seattle Times