antiquities

IPA/ænˈtɪk.wə.ti/
KK[æntˈɪkwətiz]IPA/ænˈtɪk.wə.t̬i/

antiquities — 名詞

  • antiquitiessingular
  • antiquitiesesplural

1. the period of history before the Middle Ages, stretching back to the earliest kn

1.名詞B2
釋義

古代

中世紀前的遠古歷史時期

the period of history before the Middle Ages, stretching back to the earliest known civilisations of Greece, Rome, Egypt, and beyond

例句

Gita wrote her thesis on marriage customs in antiquity.

Gita 的論文探討了古代的婚姻習俗。

in antiquity (time-period pattern)

Mathieu visited ruins in Athens that date back to antiquity.

Mathieu 造訪了雅典可追溯至古代的遺址。

date back to antiquity

同義詞
反義詞
  • modernity

    the present or recent historical period

文法句型

in antiquity

classical antiquity

late antiquity

用法筆記

Always uncountable when referring to the historical period. Frequently appears with modifiers like 'classical', 'late', or 'Greek'. The singular form 'antiquity' is used; the plural 'antiquities' belongs to sense 2.

常見錯誤

❌The museum displays treasures from antiquities.' (when meaning the time period).
✅The museum displays treasures from antiquity.
💡'Antiquities' (plural) means ancient objects; 'antiquity' (singular, uncountable) means the distant past.

2. a physical item — for example a statue, a piece of jewellery, or a building — th

2.名詞B2
釋義

古物；古董

古代製作並留存至今的物品

a physical item — for example a statue, a piece of jewellery, or a building — that has survived from a very old period of history, especially from the time of ancient Greece, Rome, or Egypt

例句

Eshe bought a small Egyptian antiquity at the Cairo market.

Eshe 在開羅市場買了一件小型埃及古物。

countable singular: an antiquity

The museum displays Greek and Roman antiquities in a special gallery.

博物館在特展廳中展示了希臘與羅馬古物。

plural: antiquities

同義詞
  • relic

    often has religious or sacred associations

  • artefact

    more scientific and neutral; used in archaeology

  • antique

    usually refers to newer old objects (a few centuries rather than millennia)

反義詞

文法句型

an antiquity

collect antiquities

a collection of antiquities

用法筆記

Usually plural ('antiquities') when talking about collections or groups of ancient objects. The singular ('an antiquity') refers to one item. Distinguish from 'antique': an antique is typically a few hundred years old; an antiquity comes from a civilisation thousands of years ago.

常見錯誤

❌I bought some antiquities at the antique shop.
✅I bought some antiques at the antique shop.
💡'Antiques' are old collectible items (usually 100–300 years old); 'antiquities' specifically come from ancient civilisations (thousands of years old).

3. the condition of being extremely old; having existed for a very long span of tim

3.名詞C1
釋義

古老

極為古老的狀態或性質

the condition of being extremely old; having existed for a very long span of time

例句

Hana stood before the stone carvings in the Kyoto temple, stunned by their great antiquity.

Hana 站在京都寺廟的石雕前，驚嘆於其極其古老。

of great antiquity (quality pattern)

Eli questioned the antiquity of the manuscript found in the cave.

Eli 對洞穴中發現的手稿年代久遠存疑。

the antiquity of [something]

同義詞
  • ancientness

    less common and more direct; rarely used in everyday speech

  • oldness

    informal and less precise; can refer to any degree of age

  • age

    much broader term; can describe anything from recent to ancient

反義詞
  • newness

    the quality of being recently made or created

文法句型

of great antiquity

of considerable antiquity

the antiquity of

用法筆記

Always uncountable. Refers to the quality of being ancient, not the time period itself. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 names a historical era ('in antiquity'), while sense 3 describes the age of a specific thing ('the antiquity of the vase').

常見錯誤

❌This vase has many antiquities.
✅This vase is of great antiquity.
💡When referring to great age (sense 3), 'antiquity' is uncountable and cannot be pluralised.