The Etymology of Antique
Antique is a 16th-century borrowing from French, but its core is older still β the Latin prepositionβββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ 'ante' (before), the same element behind 'ancient,' 'antecedent,' 'anterior,' and 'ante-room.' Latin 'antiquus' meant 'former, ancient,' literally 'pertaining to what came before.' English took the word in the 1530s during the period of intense classical revival, and at first it meant simply 'belonging to classical antiquity.' The modern collector's sense β a valuable old object, especially furniture or decorative ware β developed in the 18th century, when antiquarianism turned old artefacts into commercial property. 'Antique' and 'ancient' are siblings: the same Latin idea entered English twice, once early through French, once later closer to the Latin form, and the two have specialised in different directions.