antiquity

[ an-tik-wi-tee ]
See synonyms for antiquity on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural an·tiq·ui·ties.
  1. the quality of being ancient; ancientness: a bowl of great antiquity.

  2. ancient times; former ages: the splendor of antiquity.

  1. the period of history before the Middle Ages.

  2. the peoples, nations, tribes, or cultures of ancient times.

  3. Usually antiquities. something belonging to or remaining from ancient times, as monuments, relics, or customs.

Origin of antiquity

1
1350–1400; Middle English antiquite<Anglo-French <Latin antīquitās, equivalent to antīqu(us) old (see antique) + -itās-ity

Other words from antiquity

  • pre·an·tiq·ui·ty, noun, plural pre·an·tiq·ui·ties.
  • sub·an·tiq·ui·ty, noun, plural sub·an·tiq·ui·ties.

Words Nearby antiquity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use antiquity in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for antiquity

antiquity

/ (ænˈtɪkwɪtɪ) /


nounplural -ties
  1. the quality of being ancient or very old: a vase of great antiquity

  2. the far distant past, esp the time preceding the Middle Ages in Europe

  1. the people of ancient times collectively; the ancients

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012