Where does “antique” come from?
Antique derives from French antique, from Latin antiquus meaning "former" or "old," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂énti meaning "before" or "opposite."
antique (English): Having existed in ancient times, descended from...
Definitions
- Having existed in ancient times, descended from...
Ancestry of “antique”, step by step
antique traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French antique
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | antique | ancient; relating to the Antiquity |
| 2 | Old French | antique | — |
| 3 | Old French | antic | ancient; very old |
| 4 | Latin | antīquus | 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 |