antiquity

antiquity — 名詞

1. the long historical period running roughly from the earliest known civilizations

1.名詞C1
釋義

古代

希臘羅馬等遠古文明的時代

the long historical period running roughly from the earliest known civilizations through the fall of Rome — most often used to refer to the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome before the Middle Ages.

例句

Professor Aoki teaches a course on warfare in classical antiquity.

青木教授開了一門關於古代古希臘羅馬戰爭的課程。

fixed phrase: classical antiquity for Greek/Roman period

In antiquity, Athenian citizens met on a hill called the Pnyx to vote on new laws.

在古代，雅典公民會聚集到一座叫作普尼克斯的山丘上投票通過新法律。

prepositional phrase: in antiquity meaning long ago

同義詞
反義詞
  • modernity

    the contemporary era and its way of life

文法句型

in antiquity

用法筆記

Often appears in the fixed phrases 'classical antiquity' (Greek and Roman world) and 'in antiquity' (during that period). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense names the era itself, not the age of an object.

常見錯誤

❌My grandfather lived in antiquity.
✅My grandfather lived a long time ago.
💡antiquity refers to the ancient world (before about the 6th century), not to any old time within living memory.

2. the quality of having existed for an extremely long stretch of time — used when

2.名詞C1
釋義

古老；悠久

存在已久、年代久遠的特質

the quality of having existed for an extremely long stretch of time — used when stressing how impressively old a building, custom, document, or tradition is.

例句

The wooden bridge in the village is of considerable antiquity, dating back to the Heian period.

村裡那座木橋年代相當古老，可以追溯到平安時代。

fixed pattern: of (considerable / great) antiquity

Scholars argue about the antiquity of the manuscript hidden in the abbey library.

學者們對藏在修道院圖書館那份手稿的古老程度爭論不休。

the antiquity of + noun

同義詞
  • age

    neutral; antiquity stresses extreme age and is more formal

  • ancientness

    rare and clunky; antiquity is preferred in writing

反義詞
  • newness

    the property of having existed only briefly

文法句型

of (considerable / great) antiquity

用法筆記

Almost always appears in the pattern 'of [adjective] antiquity' or 'the antiquity of [noun]'. Distinguish from sense 1: here antiquity is a property something HAS, not the period it belongs to.

常見錯誤

❌This watch has antiquity.
✅This watch is of great antiquity.
💡the noun is normally introduced with 'of' plus an adjective, not used as a bare object.

3. a coin, statue, vase, or similar object made in ancient times that has survived

3.名詞C1
釋義

古物；文物

古代留下的器物，常陳列於博物館

a coin, statue, vase, or similar object made in ancient times that has survived to the present day, usually kept in a museum or held by a collector.

例句

The Cairo museum just bought a small bronze antiquity that was smuggled out of Iraq in the 1990s.

開羅的博物館剛買下一件小型青銅古物，那是1990年代從伊拉克偷運出來的。

countable singular use

Police arrested two dealers for selling stolen Roman antiquities at a London auction house.

警方逮捕了兩名業者，他們在倫敦的拍賣會上販售贓來的羅馬文物。

plural form: stolen antiquities

同義詞
  • artifact

    any human-made object of historical interest, not necessarily ancient

  • relic

    stresses survival from the past, often with religious overtones

  • antique

    covers any old valuable object; antiquity is reserved for items from ancient civilizations

文法句型

antiquities (plural)

用法筆記

Most often used in the plural ('antiquities') for collections, trade, and law. Distinguish from sense 1 (the era) and sense 2 (great age): this sense is concrete — a thing you can pick up or display.

常見錯誤

❌My grandmother's vase is an antiquity.
✅My grandmother's vase is an antique.
💡'antiquity' suggests something from ancient civilizations (Roman, Egyptian, etc.); 'antique' is the everyday word for any old, valuable object.