an·cient 1
(ān′shənt)adj.
1. Of, relating to, or belonging to times long past, especially before the fall of the Western Roman Empire (ad 476): ancient cultures. See Synonyms at old.
2. Of great age; very old: "The males live up to six months—positively ancient, for a bee" (Elizabeth Royte).
3. Archaic Having the qualities associated with age, wisdom, or long use; venerable: "You seem a sober, ancient Gentleman by your habit" (Shakespeare).
n.
1. A very old person.
2. A person who lived in times long past.
3. ancients
a. The peoples of the classical nations of antiquity.
b. The ancient Greek and Roman authors.
[Middle English auncien, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *anteānus : Latin ante, before; see ant- in Indo-European roots + -ānus, adj. and n. suff.]
an′cient·ly adv.
an′cient·ness n.
an·cient 2
(ān′shənt)n.
1. Archaic An ensign; a flag.
2. Obsolete A flag-bearer or lieutenant.
[Alteration of ensign.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  ancients - people who lived in times long past (especially during the historical period before the fall of the Roman Empire in western Europe)plural, plural form - the form of a word that is used to denote more than one people - (plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively; "old people"; "there were at least 200 people in the audience" Roman Empire - an empire established by Augustus in 27 BC and divided in AD 395 into the Western Roman Empire and the eastern or Byzantine Empire; at its peak lands in Europe and Africa and Asia were ruled by ancient Rome |
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