n.
Pronunciation: ' ā n(t)-sh ə nt, ' ā ŋ (k)-sh ə nt
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English ancien, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *anteanus, from Latin ante before ― more at ANTE-
Date: 14th century
1 : having had an existence of many years
2 : of or relating to a remote period, to a time early in history, or to those living in such a period or time especially : of or relating to the historical period beginning with the earliest known civilizations and extending to the fall of the western Roman Empire in A.D. 476
3 : having the qualities of age or long existence: as a : VENERABLE b : OLD-FASHIONED , ANTIQUE
synonyms see OLD
– an · cient · ness noun