# 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”) and Proto-Nuristani *ãtika, which are however derived from *h₂enti-kó-s, with diminutive suffix. Sense 5 could be a calque of Ancient Greek πρέσβυς (présbus).

### Pronunciation

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

### Adjective

antīquus (feminine antīqua, neuter antīquum, comparative antīquior, superlative antīquissimus); first/second-declension adjective
* old, ancient
    Synonyms: vetus, prīscus, longinquus, vetustus
* aged
    Synonyms: prīscus, prīstinus, senex, vetus, vetustus
    Antonyms: novus, recēns
* time-honoured, bygone
* simple, venerable
* (only superlative or comparative) the most important, valued, dear, precious
    Synonyms: pretiōsus, cārus, impēnsus, dīves
    Antonym: vīlis
* classic, traditional, essential

#### Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

#### 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
* 1 2 De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “ante”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 45

### 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 (2003-2025), 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, 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