Word
antiquity
Phoneticsan·tiq·ui·ty
US/ænˈtɪkwəti/
UK/æntˈɪkwɪti/
Definitions
01ancient times
n. the distant past, especially the period of history before the Middle Ages.
n. the period of history belonging to the distant past, specifically the era preceding the Middle Ages.
“Many laws in this country have their roots in classical antiquity.”
“The philosopher sought to reconcile the values of classical antiquity with the emerging social structures of the Renaissance.”
Formal
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02an ancient object
n. an object, such as a statue or coin, that was made a very long time ago.
n. a relic, monument, or artefact remaining from ancient times. Often used in the plural.
“The museum has a famous collection of Egyptian antiquities.”
“The illicit trade in stolen antiquities remains a significant challenge for archaeologists working in conflict zones.”
Formal
03great age
n. the quality of being very old or having a long history.
n. the state or quality of being ancient or of great age.
“The manuscript was valuable because of its great antiquity.”
“The city's antiquity is evident in the layered ruins that sit beneath the modern shopping district.”
Formal · Literary
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Real-World Examples
“The eruption, which also buried nearby Pompeii, preserved for posterity the only known intact library from antiquity.” “Dr Elisa Guerra-Doce, an associate professor in European prehistory at the University of Valladolid in Spain, said the study provided “direct evidence of the antiquity of human drug use”.” “There are no official estimates of the number of archaeologically significant sites in Syria, but the country's antiquities department is said to have a file of about 10,000 sites.” Etymology
From Middle English antiquyte, antiquite, antiquytee, a borrowing from Old French antiquité, antiquitet, from Latin antiquitas, from antiquus. Equivalent to antique + -ity. See antique, antic. Compare with French antiquité.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/antiquity