Main Entry: ¹an·cient

Pronunciation: \ˈān(t)-shənt, ˈāŋ(k)-shənt\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Middle English ancien, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *anteanus, from Latin ante before — more at ante-

Date: 14th century

1 : having had an existence of many years
2 : of or relating to a remote period, to a time early in history, or to those living in such a period or time; especially : of or relating to the historical period beginning with the earliest known civilizations and extending to the fall of the western Roman Empire in a.d. 476
3 : having the qualities of age or long existence: as a : venerable b : old-fashioned, antique

synonyms see old

— an·cient·ness noun