Etymograph

English

antique

Antique comes from French antique ‘ancient, old’, from Latin ante ‘before’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- ‘front, front side’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ent-‘front, front side’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂énti‘in front’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*anti‘before’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEante‘before’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEantiquus‘former, earlier, ancient, old’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400antic
  7. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400antique
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘ancient, old’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1577same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ent-‘front, front side’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂énti‘in front’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*anti‘before’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEante‘before’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEantiquus‘former, earlier, ancient, old’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400antic
  7. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400antique
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘ancient, old’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1577same form

Earliest quotation: 1577, Richarde Eden, Richarde Willes: “They supposed that they had seene those most beutyfull…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- ‘front, front side’

end, answer, endless, ender, 11 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti ‘in front’

and, 4 more

through Latin ante ‘before’

ancient, ante, 3 more

through Latin antiquus ‘former, earlier, ancient, old’

antic, 6 more

Today it means

adj Having existed in ancient times, descended from antiquity; used especially in reference to Greece and Rome.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- / antique

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