ancient1 adjectiveancient2 noun
ancientan‧cient1 /ˈeɪnʃənt/ ●●● W2 adjective 
WORD ORIGINancient1
Origin:
1300-1400 Old French ancien, from Vulgar Latin anteanus, from Latin ante ‘before’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- an ancient Greek vase
- Doc drives an ancient Ford convertible.
- He's not just old, he's ancient.
- Mum looks absolutely ancient in this picture.
- Rome is famous for its ancient monuments.
- The ancient Chinese believed that we are born with a finite amount of energy in our bodies called chi.
- the pyramids of ancient Egypt
- This refrigerator is ancient -- it's time we bought a new one.
- Above the lip of the gorge he found traces of that ancient river bank.
- Here are some recent piano releases for keyboards, solo and duo, ancient and modern.
- His conquests transformed the ancient world and ushered in the Hellenistic age of great monarchies.
- I prefer the more austere skeletons of the corals that live frugal, ancient lives in the deep sea.
- The Great Forest is an ancient, vast and very varied woodland.
- The Samaritans have managed to keep only a few ancient texts.
- This is a wonderful piece of ancient machinery of indeterminate age, and consists of a crank-driven triple piston pump.
- Those assembled along the hill lines are keeping alive one of the world's most ancient and wide spread fertility rites.
THESAURUSperson
having lived for a long time: · an old man· I’m too old to learn a new language.
a polite word for old: · an elderly lady· a home for the elderly (=elderly people)· If you are elderly, you may be eligible for financial assistance.
(also ageing British English) [only before noun] becoming old: · an ageing rock star· the problems of an ageing population
[only before noun] written aged relatives are very old: · aged parents· She had to look after her aged aunt.
especially British English [only before noun] an older brother or sister. Elder sounds more formal than older: · I have two elder brothers.
[not usually before noun] informal very old – used humorously: · I’ll be 30 next year – it sounds really ancient!
informal to be fairly old: · He’s 60 now, so he’s getting on a bit.
(also be past it British English) informal to be too old to do something: · Everyone thinks you’re past it when you get to 40.
[only before noun] relating to medical care and treatment for old people: · a geriatric hospital· geriatric patients
thing · an old car· an old Chinese saying
very old – used about things that existed thousands of years ago, or things that look very old: · ancient civilisations· an ancient Rolls Royce
antique furniture, clocks, jewellery etc are old and often valuable: · an antique writing desk
used about traditions, problems, or situations that have existed for a very long time: · the age-old tradition of morris dancing· the age-old prejudice against women in positions of power· the age-old problem of nationalism· age-old hatreds between religious groups
Longman Language Activatornot new · Sue was wearing jeans and an old blue jacket.· What she loved most about the old house was its privacy and spaciousness.· The Luna Baglioni is one of the oldest hotels in Venice.
very old - use this about buildings, cities, countries, languages, or customs that existed many hundreds of years ago: · Rome is famous for its ancient monuments.· an ancient Greek vaseancient Egypt/Rome/Babylon etc: · the pyramids of ancient Egyptthe ancient Egyptians/Chinese/Greeks etc (=the people who lived in Egypt etc many hundreds of years ago): · The ancient Chinese believed that we are born with a finite amount of energy in our bodies called chi.
: age-old symbol/custom/tradition etc one that has existed for a very long time: · The vine is an age-old symbol of peace and prosperity.· man's age-old fear of snakes
informal very old, used especially for describing machines, equipment etc: · This refrigerator is ancient -- it's time we bought a new one.· Doc drives an ancient Ford convertible.
British informal if you say that something is years old , you mean it is very old: · "I like your sweater." "Oh, thanks. It's years old -- I've had it since I was a teenager."
stories, jokes, customs etc that are as old as the hills are so old that no one remembers when they were first invented: · That story is as old as the hills!
not young · She wanted to have a baby before she was too old.· For the first time in my life, I feel old.· An old man was in the park feeding the pigeons.too old for somebody (=too old to have a romantic relationship with someone) · She shouldn't marry him - he's much too old for her.
old - use this as a polite way of talking about old people: · A group of elderly ladies sat drinking coffee in the cafeteria.· An elderly Englishwoman was seated next to me on the plane.· A few decades ago, the average cruise ship passenger was elderly, affluent, and retired. Not anymore.
: ageing rock star/movie star/hippy/romeo etc one who is becoming old, especially in an unattractive way, and seems too old to be a rock star, film star etc: · The bar was fill with ageing hippies.· These days, most of the houses in the Hollywood Hills are owned by aging movie stars and rich businessmen.
especially British a humorous but slightly unkind word meaning very old: · He's not just old, he's ancient. absolutely/completely/really etc ancient: · Mum looks absolutely ancient in this picture.
informal to be fairly old: · Cal is getting on a bit and doesn't play much golf anymore.getting on in years: · Ethel's getting on in years now -- she must be in her late 60s.
if you say you are not as young as you were , you mean you are getting old, especially so that you are not strong enough or healthy enough to do things that you used to do: · We do go out sometimes, but not very often. I guess we're not as young as we used to be.· "I'm not as young as I once was," concedes the cigar-chomping, 48-year-old Mr. Tiant.
skin that is wrinkled has lines on it that are caused by old age: · Her face looked old and wrinkled in the morning light.wrinkled old man/woman: · At the far end of the market, a wrinkled old woman sat smoking a pipe.
a wizened old man or woman has a small, bent body and lines on their skin because they are very old: · He barely recognized her wizened face and haggard features.wizened old man/woman: · The door was opened by a wizened old man clutching a walking stick.
not young anymore but not yet old, usually between the ages of around 40 to 65: · The condition predominantly affects middle-aged or elderly females.· a middle-aged businessman
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
the religion of ancient EgyptCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
the religion of ancient Egypt· the ancient city of Jerusalem
(=a very old one)· The achievements of Egypt's ancient civilization were remarkable.
· The Navajo Indians sell their jewellery and other traditional crafts.
· The people have a traditional culture which has hardly changed in 500 years.
· Here on the island, many of the old customs have survived.
· He said they should celebrate their achievements, not nurse old grudges.
· He had studied ancient Roman history.
· You will have heard the old legend about how the rocks were formed.
· The place seemed full of shadows and ancient magic.
· The organization maintains and restores ancient sites, castles, monuments etc.
· Visitors can go on a tour of this historic town.
· In rural Wales, the old traditions persisted.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· The basilica beside the columns is very ancient, one of the oldest in the city, founded in the fourth-century.· This is certainly the product of very ancient traditions.· She is, was I mean, a very ancient saint.· Fortunately, some sediments, by rare good fortune, survive from very ancient times with little or no loss of legibility.· These taboos against women as polluting to male sacred space are very ancient.· Descended from the Carolingian counts and vicomtes, they possessed and exercised very ancient rights of jurisdiction over their lordships.· She had the translucent skin of the very ancient and I would have guessed her age at not far from ninety.· Hence we have the Law of Similars which is very ancient and predates the formulation of Homoeopathy in the eighteenth century.
NOUN· Although not formally trained as a historian of ancient art, Ortiz's scholarship is widely respected.· Was not the Samhailt, the ancient art of hearing the thoughts of others, bestowed on the Royal Line long ago?· It is right that they should be given a place of honour in the history of ancient art.· And rooted in history ... the ancient art of coppicing.· A chance to try your hand at the ancient art of Drystone Walling.· It is also opening up a rare advance in the ancient art of making metal alloys.
· Nottingham is an ancient city with a Norman castle and an excellent variety of shops, theatre and other modern amenities.· Every day, the newspapers carried photos of tracer bullets criss-crossing the skies above ancient cities.· Here, deep beneath the ancient City, 35 million bottles of Champagne Veuve Cliquot are slowly maturing.· Participants will visit the Isle of Capri, then move on to Mount Vesuvio and the ancient cities that volcano destroyed.· We visited the ancient city of Petra and rode camels.· It was there that ancient empires and flourishing ancient cities were to be found.· There are trips to the ancient cities of Vienna and Innsbruck.· Walking amongst the ruins of an ancient city, for example, it is impossible to gain an overall impression of the layout.
· Killing has now become more of a sport, or an adherence to an ancient custom.· Indubitable evidences of an ancient custom of ritual regicide have been found over a great portion of the globe.· And in the village of Marlott, following ancient custom, the young women gathered to dance every holiday.· She sounded really respectful and seemed to have the greatest reverence for that ancient custom.· According to ancient custom it would be possible for Sarah as wife to claim the child as her own.
· The machinery of the ancient Forest courts was found at this time to be cumbrous and ineffective.· There are also plans to log 57,500 hectares of ancient forest, containing trees of up to 600 years old.· He vigorously applied Charles's policy of raising money by reviving the ancient Forest administration.· Since this left them without fuel, they began to cut wood from the ancient forests.· The purposes and administration of these ancient forests have of course changed fundamentally.· Locked still in ancient forest dreams, they stand at significant points in the landscape.· The decline of the dormouse has mirrored the loss of ancient forests.
· Its very imperfection is powerful testimony of its ancient history, a history of step-by-step change rather than of deliberate design.· But my tale of ancient history was less than a generation old.· For one thing, this is not ancient history.· It has been fashionable in the last twenty years to suggest that there was in ancient history a utopian matriarchy.· The world of Lowry's north seems to be ancient history.· That, too, seemed like ancient history now.· He was very fond of ancient histories, stories and epics of earlier times and heroes.· He was so beautiful in those days - listen to me, those days, talking like it was all ancient history.
· With such ancient remains, the first need is to accord them the same protection as other ancient monuments.· Approximately 100,000 cars clog the narrow streets each day and exhaust gases are eroding the city's ancient monuments.· Not only have UFOs nothing to do with ley lines, they have nothing to do with ancient monuments or geology.· The camera monitoring began last September in an attempt to safeguard the ancient monument.· It is far more important than any particular beetle or bird or ancient monument.· There are many castles, churches, abbeys and ancient monuments and public gardens to visit.
· He thinks that the ancient sites were locations where altered states of consciousness could more readily occur.· Here, like to many other ancient sites mentioned above, there is a provocative stillness.· He started to plot lines of ancient sites and quickly got a feel for those which cropped up most frequently.· They often fought each other and attacked humans until slain by a brave hero, frequently at an ancient site.· Easily Accessible: Dartmoor, with its woods, tors and ancient sites, and the long coastal path provide numerous walks.· Local, civil, and military personnel patrol or enclose ancient sites.· Lines of enquiry suggested themselves from reported material which had accumulated over the years on possible energy effects at ancient sites.· The club had field meetings, following leys and visiting ancient sites, a member who knew the area acting as leader.
· Since ancient times people have disputed the actions taken by their neighbours.· But the methods and theory are the same as in ancient times, he said.· Since ancient times, the rowan tree has been considered a scourge to witches.· Only the island of Bali preserved, alongside its own traditions, the Brahman heritage of those ancient times.· These old Lincolnshire farmhouses, especially the derelict ones, tell a fascinating story of farming life in more ancient times.· Spirituality does not exist only in ancient times, or in books.· Hydrogen sulphide was probably a relatively rare commodity, even in ancient times.· Fortunately, some sediments, by rare good fortune, survive from very ancient times with little or no loss of legibility.
· The ancient town of Bridgwater, astride the River Parrett, is an ideal touring centre.· Half an hour's drive away, Bury St Edmunds is a beautiful ancient town with an abbey and clock museum.· The beauty of this ancient town is that told and new have be carefully mixed.· The region boasts many ancient towns of interest and historic cities whose architecture reveals the splendours of the past.· Cobalt joined the coast road and they roared along the ramparts of the ancient town.· Crediton, 8 miles away, is an ancient town, once known for its wool industry now for its cider making.· Eva Hendrix started to chatter in her persuasive voice while the uniformed chauffeur drove them into the ancient town of Freiburg.· Ruth loved the ancient town of Pollensa with its quaint narrow streets and low red stone houses.
· One may on the other hand consider that the ancient traditions and methods of training for the Bar are worthy of preservation.· At the heart of each is an ancient tradition of devotion to a statue of the Black Virgin.· It had been a democratic country and had ancient traditions of learning and libertarianism.· This is certainly the product of very ancient traditions.· Eventually the ancient traditions began to dilute the ideology.
· Some of the trees in this ancient woodland have been here for more than 300 years.· The loss of ancient woodland now means they're confined to the southern counties and Herefordshire and Worcestershire.· Of the remaining ancient woodland, over 80 percent consists of small copses of less than 50 acres.· Hazel catkins Witches' broom Bluebells are indicators of ancient woodland.· Since World War 11, over half of Britain's ancient woodland has been destroyed.
· His conquests transformed the ancient world and ushered in the Hellenistic age of great monarchies.· The law of the survival of the fitted governed not only primitive tribes, but the civilized cultures of the ancient world.· It was not until the Ptolemaic period that its price fell to that obtaining elsewhere in the ancient world.· The Olympics were not the only games in the ancient world.· So many relics of the ancient world.· In the ancient world, the belief was that each person was represented by a star.· Touch-operated computer terminals are placed at strategic points allowing us, quite literally, to have the ancient world at our fingertips.· What he most wanted to know about was not the ancient world but modern politics with its historical background.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1belonging to a time long ago in history, especially thousands of years ago OPP modern: - Will and I broke up a long time ago - that's ancient history now.
- But my tale of ancient history was less than a generation old.
- For one thing, this is not ancient history.
- He was so beautiful in those days - listen to me, those days, talking like it was all ancient history.
- He was very fond of ancient histories, stories and epics of earlier times and heroes.
- It has been fashionable in the last twenty years to suggest that there was in ancient history a utopian matriarchy.
- Its very imperfection is powerful testimony of its ancient history, a history of step-by-step change rather than of deliberate design.
- That, too, seemed like ancient history now.
- The world of Lowry's north seems to be ancient history.
- But that's history now the children are back in the classroom.
the ancient civilizations of Asiaancient Greece/Egypt/Rome the religion of ancient Egypt2having existed for a very long time OPP new: an ancient walled city an ancient forest the ancient art of calligraphy3very old – used humorously: That photo makes me look ancient!► see thesaurus at old4ancient history a)the history of ancient societies, such as Greece or Rome: a professor of ancient history b)informal if you say that something is ancient history, you mean that it happened a long time ago and is not important now: It’s all ancient history and I’m not upset anymore.ancient1 adjectiveancient2 noun
ancientancient2 noun the ancients [plural] people who lived long ago, especially the Greeks and Romans: The ancients believed that the Sun and Moon were planets.