different between indigenous vs ancient

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin indigenus (“native, born in a country”), from indi- (indu-), an old derivative of in (“in”), gen- the root of gign? (“give birth to”), and English -ous. Compare indigene, Ancient Greek ????????? (endogen?s, “born in the house”), and the separately formed endogenous.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?n?d?d??n?s/
• (General American) enPR: ?n-d?j??-n?s, ?n-d?j??-n?s, IPA^(key): /?n?d?d??n?s/, /?n?d?d??n?s/
• Rhymes: -?d??n?s, -?d??n?s
• Hyphenation: in?dig?e?nous

Adjective

indigenous (not comparable)

1. Born or originating in, native to a land or region, especially before an intrusion. [from 17th c.]
   • 1862, Henry David Thoreau, "Wild Apples: The History of the Apple Tree":

     Not only the Indian, but many indigenous insects, birds, and quadrupeds, welcomed the apple-tree to these shores.

   • 1997, Eduardo Galeano, Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent, Monthly Review Press, page 17:

     Horses, like camels, had once been indigenous to Latin America but had become extinct.

   1. In particular, of or relating to a people (or their language or culture) that inhabited a region prior to the arrival of people of other cultures which became dominant (e.g., through colonialism), and which maintains a distinct culture.

2. Innate, inborn. [from 19th c.]
   • 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin, ch. 18:

     She was a native and essential cook, as much as Aunt Chloe,—cooking being an indigenous talent of the African race.

   • 1883, George MacDonald, "Stephen Archer" in Stephen Archer and Other Tales:

     He had all the tricks of a newspaper boy indigenous in him.

Usage notes

• Some style guides recommend capitalizing Indigenous in reference to the racial/ethnic/cultural category. (Lowercase indigenous has historically been more common.)

Synonyms

• (native): aboriginal, autochthonous, local; See also Thesaurus:native
• (innate, inborn): connatural, natural; See also Thesaurus:innate

Derived terms

Related terms

• indigena

Translations

References

References

• indigenous at OneLook Dictionary Search
• indigenous in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
• indigenous in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?e?n.(t)??nt/

Etymology 1

From Middle English auncyen, borrowed from Old French ancien (“old”), from Vulgar Latin root *anteanus, from Latin ante (“before”). Compare antique.

Alternative forms

• anchient, aunchient, auncient, auntient, awncient, awntient (obsolete)
• antient (obsolete outside freemasonry)

Adjective

ancient (comparative ancienter or more ancient, superlative ancientest or most ancient)

1. Having lasted from a remote period; having been of long duration; of great age, very old.
2. Existent or occurring in time long past, usually in remote ages; belonging to or associated with antiquity; old, as opposed to modern.
3. (historical) Relating to antiquity as a primarily European historical period; the time before the Middle Ages.
4. (obsolete) Experienced; versed.
   • 1550, Thomas Cranmer, A Defence of the True and Catholick Doctrine of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ; with a Confutation of sundry Errors concerning the same, grounded and stablished upon God's Holy Word, and approved by the consent of the most ancient Doc. tors of the Church

     approved by the consent of the moste ancient doctors of the Churche [part of the book title]

5. (obsolete) Former; sometime.

Synonyms

• (very old): aged, eldern, hoary; see also Thesaurus:old

Antonyms

• modern

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

ancient (plural ancients)

1. A person who is very old.
2. A person who lived in ancient times.
3. (Britain, law) One of the senior members of the Inns of Court or of Chancery.
4. (obsolete) A senior; an elder; a predecessor.
   • 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie

     Junius and Andronicus […] in Christianity […] were his ancients.

Synonyms

• (person who is very old): geriatric, oldster, senior citizen; see also Thesaurus:old person
• (person who lived in ancient times): antique
• (predecessor): antecessor, forerunner; see also Thesaurus:predecessor

Etymology 2

Corruption of ensign.

Noun

ancient (plural ancients)

1. (heraldry, archaic) A flag, banner, standard or ensign.
   • 1719, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

     I got all things ready as he had directed, and waited the next morning with the boat washed clean, her ancient and pendants out, and everything to accommodate his guests..

2. (obsolete, rare) the bearer of a flag; ensign

References

• The Manual of Heraldry, Fifth Edition, by Anonymous, London, 1862, online at [2]
• ancient in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• ancient in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• ancient at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• cantine, catenin, enactin