antiquity means the period of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. It carries an Arena rating of 1673, earned across 16 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, antiquity ranks #255 of 42,791 for Qualifying, #1,125 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #1,772 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,985 of 17,135 for Most Malleable Words.
antiquity is pronounced /ænˈtɪk.wɪ.ti/.
Why “antiquity” is a great word
The ancient past, especially the period before the Middle Ages, encompassing the civilizations of Greece and Rome. From Middle English antiquyte, borrowed from Old French antiquité, from Latin antīquitās ("ancient times, antiquity"), from antīquus ("old, ancient"). Unlike "antique," which denotes a single venerable object, or "history," which charts the entire chronicle of events, antiquity is a specific, foundational epoch. It is the olive-pressed light in a ruined temple, the silent weight of a marble gaze, and the cool density of a corroded coin in the palm—a realm we visit not to dwell, but to measure the depth of our own fleeting moment.
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.
name
- The period of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
noun
- Ancient times; faraway history; former ages.e.g.“Cicero was an eloquent orator of antiquity.”
- The people of ancient times.e.g.“That such pillars were raised by Seth all antiquity has avowed.” — 1614, Walter Ralegh [i.e., Walter Raleigh], The Historie of the World […], London: […] William Stansby for Walter Burre, […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=1 to 5):
- An old gentleman.e.g.“You are a shrewd antiquity, neighbor Clench.” — 1633 (first performance), Ben Jonson, “A Tale of a Tub. A Comedy […]”, in The Works of Beniamin Jonson, […] (Third Folio), London: […] Thomas Hodgkin, for H[enry] Herringman, E. Brewster, T. Bassett,
- The historical period preceding the Middle Ages (c. 500-1500), primarily relating to European history.
- A relic or monument of ancient times, such as a coin, a statue, etc.; an ancient institution.e.g.“New video released by ISIS shows militants smashing what they say are antiquities at a museum in Mosul, Iraq.” — 2015 February 26, Ben Wedeman, Dana Ford, “Video shows ISIS militants destroying antiquities in Iraq”, in CNN, archived from the original on 01 Feb 2023:
- The state of being ancient or of ancient lineage.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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