Where does “antient” come from?
Ancient derives from Old English ancient, from Old French ancien, from Latin anteanus meaning "former," ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root h₂ent- meaning "front" or "before."
antient (English): Obsolete spelling of ancient
Definitions
- Obsolete spelling of ancient
Ancestry of “antient”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ancient | Having lasted from a remote period; having been... |
| 2 | Middle English | auncyen | — |
| 3 | Old French | ancien | old; ancient |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | anteanus | old, ancient |
| 5 | Latin | ante | before, in front, forwards; before; before,... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | κλίσις | bending, inclination; a lying down; a place for... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -σῐς | "suffix forming nouns" |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | -τις | retained after dentals |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |