Etymologically
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ante

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈan.tɛ][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈan.te][1]

Forms

ante (+ accusative)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *anti (“before, in front of”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti, the locative singular of the root noun *h₂ent- (“front”).[2][1] Final ⟨-i⟩ became ⟨-e⟩; the old ⟨-i⟩ is still seen in antīquus, antēs “rows” and antiae “forelocks”.[2] The compound forms ⟨antid-⟩ (⟨antideā⟩, ⟨antideō⟩) follow ⟨postid⟩ “afterwards”, and ⟨anteā⟩ and ⟨antehāc⟩ suggest that it once took the ablative.[2][3]

Cognate with Oscan ant (“up to”), Hittite hanza (“in front”), Sanskrit अन्ति (ánti, “before, near”) and Ancient Greek ἀντί (antí, “opposite, facing”).[2][4][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from the Twelve Tables on.[2][5] Plautus writes audīre vōcem vīsa sum ante aedīs modo, “I thought I heard a voice in front of the house just now”.[4]

Semantic evolution

As a preposition with the accusative ante means “in front of” a place or person, “in the presence of”, and “to a position in front of”; it also marks order (“before one comes to”).[4] Of time it means “before” a date or event (ante hunc diem), ante omnia “first of all”, and “before the time of” a person; of preference it means “above, more than” (nōn rūmōrēs pōnēbat ante salūtem).[4]

As an adverb it means “in front, forwards” and “before, previously”.[1][4] As the prefix ante- it has the senses of the adverb.[4] Its compounds include antequam “before” and anteā “formerly”.[4][1]

Timeline

  • c. 450 BC – Used in the Twelve Tables.[2][5]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: ante aedīs;[4][5] ante hesternum diem, “before yesterday”.[4][5]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius: nōn rūmōrēs pōnēbat ante salūtem, “he did not put rumours before safety”.[4][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero: plūra … dīximus quam quisquam ante nōs, “we have said more than anyone before us”.[4][5]

Meanings

Preposition

  1. (with accusative) before, in front of (a place);[4][3] in the presence of.[4][1]
  2. To a position in front of.[4]
  3. Before (in order).[4]
  4. Before (a time or event), by;[4] ante omnia, first of all.[4]
  5. Before the time of (a person).[4]
  6. Above, more than (in preference).[4][1]

Adverb

  1. In front, forwards.[4][1]
  2. Before, previously.[1][6]

Word family

  • abante
  • antarius
  • anteā
  • antegeriō
  • antelūciō
  • antemerīdiem
  • antīquus
  • inante
  • ante-
  • antequam
  • anterior
  • anticipō

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson