antiquity

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Ancient times, especially the times preceding the Middle Ages.
2. n. The people, especially the writers and artisans, of ancient times: inventions unknown to antiquity.
3. n. The quality of being old or ancient; considerable age: a carving of great antiquity.
4. n. Something, such as an object or a relic, belonging to or dating from ancient times. Often used in the plural.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The quality of being ancient; ancientness; great age: as, a family of great antiquity.
2. n. Ancient times; former ages; times long since past: as, Demosthenes was the most eloquent orator of antiquity.
3. n. The ancients collectively; the people of ancient times.
4. n. An old person.
5. n. That which is ancient, or belongs to old or ancient times; something left by or peculiar to the ancients: generally in the plural: as, Greek or Egyptian antiquities.

Wiktionary

1. n. Ancient times; former ages; times long since past
2. n. The ancients; the people of ancient times.
3. n. obsolete An old gentleman.
4. n. A relic or monument of ancient times; as, a coin, a statue, etc.; an ancient institution.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The quality of being ancient; ancientness; great age
2. n. obsolete Old age.
3. n. Ancient times; former ages; times long since past.
4. n. The ancients; the people of ancient times.
5. n. obsolete An old gentleman.
6. n. A relic or monument of ancient times; as, a coin, a statue, etc.; an ancient institution. [In this sense, usually in the plural.]

WordNet 3.0

1. n. extreme oldness
2. n. an artifact surviving from the past
3. n. the historic period preceding the Middle Ages in Europe