antiquity

[ an-tik-wi-tee ]

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.

3. the period of history before the Middle Ages.
4. the peoples, nations, tribes, or cultures of ancient times.
5. Usually antiquities. something belonging to or remaining from ancient times, as monuments, relics, or customs.

antiquity

/ ænˈtɪkwɪtɪ /

noun

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
3. the people of ancient times collectively; the ancients

Other Words From

• prean·tiqui·ty noun plural preantiquities
• suban·tiqui·ty noun plural subantiquities

Word History and Origins

Origin of antiquity¹

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

Example Sentences

For one thing, in the Olympics of antiquity, athletes competed nude.

From Quartz

Uranus is typically described as the first planet discovered since antiquity, but it’s more accurate to say it was the first planet to be discovered, period.

From Nautilus

Because of its lineage dating to antiquity, the Byzantine Empire provides a unique lens on how racial tropes persisted across millennia and how they were transmitted and reconceived under Christian rule.

From Washington Post

In “Purity,” Munson played multiple roles, appearing as both an artist’s model and as mythic figures from antiquity captured on canvas and in stone.

From Washington Post

The site has been holy since antiquity, perhaps explaining why Notre Dame feels spiritual, even for nonbelievers.

From Washington Post

“The origin of Brokpas is lost in antiquity,” a research article from the University of Delhi notes.

From The Daily Beast

I just think the cold is blissful”—a pause for an inside-joke smile—“in my antiquity.

From The Daily Beast

Still, the tradition of a hero with a younger, or everyman, acolyte stretches back to antiquity.

From The Daily Beast

As a center of Christian antiquity, Mosul is considered by many Middle Eastern Christians to be one of their holiest cities.

From The Daily Beast

Last year, as I began to conceive a novel, set in shadowy Istanbul, about the sale of a gray market antiquity worth millions.

From The Daily Beast

He was professor of oriental languages; his dissertations on various subjects of criticism and antiquity were highly esteemed.

From Project Gutenberg

He was deeply versed in Saxon literature and published a work on the antiquity of the English church.

From Project Gutenberg

Sutton Coldfield, on the road to Lichfield, is celebrated even more for its park than its antiquity.

From Project Gutenberg

But it was not only among the peasantry that this belief in the extreme antiquity of tobacco pipes existed.

From Project Gutenberg

Those illustrious heroes of antiquity became the companions of her solitude and of her hourly thoughts.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• antique
• relic