ancient
n.n. belonging to a time that was very long ago, especially thousands of years in the past. You use it to describe things from the earliest periods of human history.
n. belonging to the very distant past, specifically the period of history before the end of the Western Roman Empire. Usually non-gradable; comparative forms are typically used for literary emphasis rather than literal measurement.
We visited the ancient ruins during our trip to Greece.
Archaeologists discovered an ancient burial site that dates back to the Bronze Age.
The philosopher argued that modern political systems still rest upon the foundations laid by ancient civilizations, whose legal codes continue to influence contemporary jurisprudence.
From Middle English auncyen, from Old French ancien, from Vulgar Latin *anteānus, composed of Latin ante (“before”) + -ānus (adjective-forming suffix). The non-etymological /t/ is by analogy with the common ending -ent.
Corruption of ensign.
Typically functions as an attributive adjective placed before the noun.