Definition

1. Noun:
   • An artifact surviving from the past: An object, especially a work of art or a simple tool, that was made in ancient times and still exists.
   • Extreme oldness: The quality of being very old or ancient; great age.
   • The historic period preceding the Middle Ages in Europe: The period of history, especially in the Mediterranean region and the Near East, before the fall of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476, encompassing the civilizations of ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, etc.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Artifact):
  • The museum's collection includes many antiquities from ancient Rome.
  • They discovered an antiquity buried in the field.
• Noun (Extreme Oldness):
  • The stone circle is of great antiquity.
  • A tradition of such antiquity is hard to change.
• Noun (Historic Period):
  • In antiquity, democracy was first developed in Athens.
  • The laws of antiquity have influenced modern legal systems.

Advanced Usage

• "from antiquity": originating from or belonging to the ancient past.
  • This philosophical concept dates from antiquity.
• "classical antiquity": specifically refers to the period of ancient Greek and Roman civilization.
  • The art of classical antiquity inspired the Renaissance.
• "lost to antiquity": something whose origins or details are unknown because it is so old.
  • The true purpose of the monument is lost to antiquity.

Variants and Related Words

• Antique (adj): belonging to or typical of the distant past; old-fashioned.
  • They collect antique furniture.
• Antique (n): an object, such as a piece of furniture or a work of art, that is old and often valuable.
  • The shop sells genuine antiques.
• Antiquarian (adj): relating to or dealing in antiques or rare books.
  • He has an antiquarian interest in old maps.
• Antiquarian (n): a person who studies or collects antiques or antiquities.
  • The library was founded by a wealthy antiquarian.

Synonyms

• Ancient times: The distant past.
• Ancientness: The state of being ancient.
• Relic: An object surviving from an earlier time, especially one of historical interest.
• Archaism: The use or conscious imitation of very old or old-fashioned styles or features.

Related Phrases

• "In remote antiquity": in the very distant past.
  • These myths originated in remote antiquity.
• "Since antiquity": from ancient times until now.
  • This city has been a trading hub since antiquity.

Related Idioms

• "A relic of antiquity": something very old that remains from the past.
  • The old law is a relic of antiquity and is rarely enforced.

Noun

1. an artifact surviving from the past
2. extreme oldness
3. the historic period preceding the Middle Ages in Europe