ancient: Meaning and Definition of
an•cient
Pronunciation: (ān'shunt), [key] — adj.
- of or in time long past, esp. before the end of the Western Roman Empire a.d. 476: ancient history.
- dating from a remote period; of great age: ancient rocks; ancient trees.
- very old; aged: an ancient folk tale.
- being old in wisdom and experience; venerable.
- old-fashioned or antique.
—n. - a person who lived in ancient times.
- one of the classical writers of antiquity.
- a very old or aged person, esp. if venerable or patriarchal.
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- the civilized peoples, nations, or cultures of antiquity, as the Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, and Egyptians (usually prec. by the).
- the writers, artists, and philosophers of ancient times, esp. those of Greece and Rome.
an•cient
Pronunciation: (ān'shunt), [key] — n. Obs.
- the bearer of a flag.
- a flag, banner, or standard; ensign.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.