antiquitas

Forms

antīquitās f (genitive antīquitātis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin antīquus (“ancient”) + -tās.^[2][1][3] De Vaan explains ⟨antīquus⟩ as Proto-Indo-European *h₂enti-h₃kʷ-o- (“facing the front”), built on ⟨*anti⟩, the old form of ante (“before”), which he derives from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent-i, locative of a noun “front”, cognate with Ancient Greek ἀντί (antí, “opposite”) and Sanskrit अन्ति (ánti, “before, near”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest example is from Afranius, “I must begin with ancient times”;^[2][5] Köbler dates it from Cicero.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It is the quality of being old, as the antiquity of a family, and a ground of respect: Volcacius Sedigitus places Ennius tenth among poets for his antiquity.^[2] It is also ancient times and their history, in the plural antiquities and writings about them, as Varro's books of Antīquitātēs.^[2] Cicero uses it of the old-fashioned style, saying women more easily keep the old purity of speech, and of the people of old: antiquity erred in many things.^[2] Lewis and Short note that it is found only in prose.^[6]

Glossaries render it with Ancient Greek ἀρχαιότης (arkhaiótēs).^[3] Church Latin has it for antiquity, ancient times.^[7] English antiquity (late 14th century) came through Old French antiquitet.^[8]

Timeline

• 2nd half of 2nd century BC – Afranius of ancient times.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of old age, old fashion and the ancients.^[2][5]
• 116–27 BC – Varro's books on antiquities.^[2][5]
• late 14th century – English antiquity.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. Oldness, great age; age as a ground of respect.^[2][6][1]
2. antiquity, ancient times;^[2][1][7] (plural) antiquities, writings on antiquities.^[2][1][7]
3. The old-fashioned style, the good old ways; old-fashioned integrity.^[2][1]
4. The people of old, the ancients.^[2][1]
5. Veneration, regard.^[2]

Related words

• antīquus
• ante
• vetustās
• English antiquity

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com