Definitions for ancient
ˈeɪn ʃəntan·cient

Princeton's WordNet(4.00 / 13 votes)Rate this definition:

1. ancient, antediluvian(noun)

   a very old person

2. ancient(adj)

   a person who lived in ancient times

3. ancient(adj)

   belonging to times long past especially of the historical period before the fall of the Western Roman Empire

   "ancient history"; "ancient civilizations such as those of the Etruscans and Sumerians"; "ancient Greece"

4. ancient(adj)

   very old

   "an ancient mariner"

Wiktionary(2.00 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. ancient(Noun)

   A person who is very old or who lived in ancient times.

2. ancient(Noun)

   A flag, banner, standard or ensign.

3. ancient(Adjective)

   Having lasted from a remote period; having been of long duration; of great age; very old.

4. ancient(Adjective)

   Existent or occurring in time long past, usually in remote ages; belonging to or associated with antiquity; old, as opposed to modern.

Origin: From auncyen, from ancien, from root *anteanus, from ante. Compare antique.

Webster Dictionary(2.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Ancient(adj)

   old; that happened or existed in former times, usually at a great distance of time; belonging to times long past; specifically applied to the times before the fall of the Roman empire; -- opposed to modern; as, ancient authors, literature, history; ancient days

2. Ancient(adj)

   old; that has been of long duration; of long standing; of great age; as, an ancient forest; an ancient castle

3. Ancient(adj)

   known for a long time, or from early times; -- opposed to recent or new; as, the ancient continent

4. Ancient(adj)

   dignified, like an aged man; magisterial; venerable

5. Ancient(adj)

   experienced; versed

6. Ancient(adj)

   former; sometime

7. Ancient(noun)

   those who lived in former ages, as opposed to the moderns

8. Ancient(noun)

   an aged man; a patriarch. Hence: A governor; a ruler; a person of influence

9. Ancient(noun)

   a senior; an elder; a predecessor

10. Ancient(noun)

    one of the senior members of the Inns of Court or of Chancery

11. Ancient(noun)

    an ensign or flag

12. Ancient(noun)

    the bearer of a flag; an ensign

Origin: [Corrupted from ensign.]

Freebase(3.60 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Ancient

   The Ancients are a humanoid race in the fictional Stargate universe. They are called "Ancients" in the Milky Way, but are also known as Lanteans or Ancestors in the Pegasus galaxy and as the Alterans in their home galaxy, and they sometimes call themselves Anquietas in their language. In the series mythology, they are one of the most advanced races known to have existed; they evolved millions of years before the present day and reached their level of technology long before humanity evolved on Earth. They are best known as the builders of the Stargates, the giant ring-shaped portals commonly used by Earth-based humans to travel and explore the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies. The Ancients have become an important race in all three Stargate series. They belong to the same race as the Ori, the main antagonists in Stargate SG-1 since the show's ninth season, and have played a large role in the series' many story arcs. In Stargate Atlantis, the Ancients built Atlantis, the show's main setting, and are responsible for the emergence of the show's two main villain races: the Wraith and the Asurans. In Stargate Universe they are the ones that have built and launched the ship Destiny on its journey.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Ancient

   ān′shent, adj. old: belonging to former times, specifically, of times prior to the downfall of the western Roman empire (476 A.D.): of great age or duration: of past times in a general sense: venerable: antique, old-fashioned.—n. an aged man, a patriarch: a superior in age or dignity.—adv. An′ciently.—ns. An′cientness; An′cientry, ancientness, seniority: ancestry: dignity of birth: (Shak.) old people.—n.pl. An′cients, those who lived in remote times, esp. the Greeks and Romans of classical times: (B.) elders.—The Ancient of days, a title in the Holy Scriptures for the Almighty, applied by Byron to Athens. [Fr. ancien—Low L. antianus, old—L. ante, before. See Antique.]

2. Ancient

   ān′shent, n. (obs.) a flag or its bearer: an ensign. [Corr. of Fr. enseigne. See Ensign.]

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. ancient

   A word used to describe a building or tree that has an age over one hundred years.

   The local forest has an ancient tree in the middle of it and it has a preservation order on it.

   Submitted by MC Harmonious on January 13, 2017

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. ancient

   Song lyrics by ancient -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by ancient on the Lyrics.com website.

Etymology and Origins(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Ancient

   Iago is described as Othello’s “ancient.” Even in Shakespeare’s day this word was a corruption of ensign, or standard-bearer.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'ancient' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2009

2. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'ancient' in Adjectives Frequency: #272

Anagrams for ancient »

1. catenin

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of ancient in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of ancient in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of ancient in a Sentence

1. William Shakespeare, "The Tempest", Act 2 scene 2:

   A very ancient and fish-like smell.

2. Virgil:

   I feel again a spark of that ancient flame.

3. Panayiotis Stefos:

   Joking aside, ancient CDs have never been found.

4. Francis Picabia:

   Knowledge is ancient error reflecting on its youth.

5. Saint Augustine:

   Late have I loved thee oh beauty so ancient yet so new

Images & Illustrations of ancient

Popularity rank by frequency of use