antiquus

Latin

Etymology

Reflects Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti-h₃kʷ-o-s (literally “facing the front”), from the same roots whence ante (“in front of”) and oculus (“eye”). Compare Sanskrit अन्तिक (antiká, “near, in the vicinity; nearness, proximity”), which is however derived from *h₂enti-kó-s, with diminutive suffix. Sense 5 could be a calque of Ancient Greek πρέσβυς (présbus).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /anˈtiː.kʷus/, [än̪ˈt̪iːkʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /anˈti.kwus/, [än̪ˈt̪iːkwus]

Adjective

antīquus (feminine antīqua, neuter antīquum, comparative antīquior, superlative antīquissimus); first/second-declension adjective

1. old, ancient

   Synonyms: vetus, prīscus, longinquus, vetustus

2. aged

   Synonyms: prīscus, prīstinus, senex, vetus, vetustus

   Antonyms: novus, recēns

3. time-honoured, bygone
4. simple, venerable
6. (only superlative or comparative) the most important, valued, dear, precious

   Synonyms: pretiōsus, cārus, impēnsus, dīves

   Antonym: vīlis

7. classic, traditional, essential

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	antīquus	antīqua	antīquum		antīquī	antīquae	antīqua
genitive	antīquī	antīquae	antīquī		antīquōrum	antīquārum	antīquōrum
dative	antīquō	antīquae	antīquō		antīquīs
accusative	antīquum	antīquam	antīquum		antīquōs	antīquās	antīqua
ablative	antīquō	antīquā	antīquō		antīquīs
vocative	antīque	antīqua	antīquum		antīquī	antīquae	antīqua

Related terms

• ante
• antīquārius
• antīquē
• antīquitās
• antīquitus
• antīquō

 

Descendant notes

Due to the regular sound change /kʷu/ > /ku/, the masculine antīquus was pronounced with /k/ (and indeed often spelled ⟨anticus⟩). The feminine antīqua, on the other hand, retained /kʷ/. In Romance, this /k~kʷ/ alternation persisted in Old French, Old Spanish, and Old Portuguese (see below). In all Romance languages, the alternation was sooner or later leveled by analogy.

Descendants

• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: antico, antica
    • → English: antic
    • →? Friulian: antîc
    • →? Istriot: anteîco
    • → Venetan: antico
  • Neapolitan: antìco, antica
  • Sicilian: anticu, antica
• North Italian:
  • Romagnol: antìg, intìg
  • Venetan: antigo (obsolete?)
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Old French: anti, antive
    • ⇒ antif (new masculine built from feminine antive)
    • ⇒ antie (new feminine built from masculine anti)
• Occitano-Romance:
  • Catalan: antic, antiga
  • Old Occitan: antic, antiga
    • Occitan: antic; antiga or antica (the latter either analogical or from French antique)
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Aragonese: antigo, antiga
  • Old Leonese:
    • Asturian: antiguu, antigua
    • Leonese: antigu, antigua
    • Extremaduran: antíguu, antígua
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: antigo, antigua
    • Galician: antigo ⇒ antiga
    • Portuguese: antigo ⇒ antiga
  • Old Spanish: antigo, antigua
    • Ladino: antigo ⇒ antiga
    • Spanish: antigua ⇒ antiguo
• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: antigu, antiga
• Borrowings:
  • → English: Antigua
  • → Esperanto: antikva
  • → Old French: antic
    • French: antique (see there for further descendants)
      • → English: antique

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “antiquus”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volumes 24: Refonte A–Aorte, page 660

Further reading

• “antiquus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “antiquus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• antiquus in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2024), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication
• antiquus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• antiquus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • in old days, in the olden time: antiquis temporibus
    
  • to restore a man to his former position: aliquem in antiquum statum, in pristinum restituere