antic

See also: antîc

English

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • enPR: ăn'tĭk, IPA(key): /ˈæn.tɪk/
  • Rhymes: -æntɪk

Etymology 1

Probably from Italian antico (“ancient, fanciful”) (used to describe ancient wall paintings from classical times) from Latin antiquus (“venerable”)[1]. See also grottesco (“grotesque”).

Adjective

antic (comparative more antic, superlative most antic)

  1. (architecture, art) Grotesque, incongruous.
    • 2004, John Chase, Glitter Stucco and Dumpster Diving: Reflections on Building Production in the Vernacular city, page 58:
      The amusement park environment of seaside resorts such as Venice and the antic eclecticism of Greene & Greene's pre-Craftsman work all preceded the establishment of the movie colony in Hollywood.
  2. Grotesque, bizarre; absurd.
    • 1865, Henry David Thoreau, Cape Cod:
      a fourth would fondly kiss and paw his companions, and sneer in their faces, with a countenance more antic than any in a Dutch droll.
    • 1599-1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet:
      As I perchance hereafter shall think meet / To put an antic disposition on.
    • 1591-1595, William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet:
      Fetch me my rapier, boy. What dares the slave / Come hither, cover'd with an antic face, To fleer and scorn at our solemnity?
  3. Obsolete form of antique.
Translations

Noun

antic (plural antics)

  1. (architecture, art, obsolete) A grotesque representation of a figure; a gargoyle.
  2. A caricature.
  3. (often in plural) A ludicrous gesture or act; ridiculous behaviour; caper.
    • 1814, William Wordsworth, The Excursion, Book the sixth
      And fraught with antics as the Indian bird / That writhes and chatters in her wiry cage.
    • 1908, H. G. Wells, The War in the Air, chapter IX, section 7
      I've 'ad about enough of you and your antics. I been thinking you over, you and your war and your Empire and all the rot of it. Rot it is! […] And all for nothin'. Jest silly prancing! Jest because you've got the uniforms and flags! Then you get […] all your silly fleet smashed up to rags. And you want to go on prancin' now! Look at the mischief you done! Look at the way you smashed up New York — the people you killed, the stuff you wasted. Can't you learn?
    • 1953, John Christopher, Blemish
      I saw the barren horror of your people's leisure with the million entertained by the antics of a tiny few […]
    • 2007, Jeph Jacques, Time To Add A Cute Kid To The Cast Questionable Content Number 951
      Pintsize: Wait, don’t you want to know why I’m tied up and hanging from the ceiling? / Faye: Not really. Nighty night! / Pintsize: Shit! My wacky antics have jumped the shark!
  4. A grotesque performer or clown, buffoon.
    • 1978, Walter C. Foreman, The Music of the Close: The Final Scenes of Shakespeare's Tragedies, page 90:
      The Grave-maker, like the professional fools and Falstaff, and like Hamlet himself, is an antic, a grotesque, one who demonstrates to men how foolish and
Translations

Verb

antic (third-person singular simple present antics, present participle anticking, simple past and past participle anticked)

  1. (intransitive) To perform antics, caper.
    • 1917, Jack London, Jerry of the Islands, page 54:
      Jerry no more than cocked a contemptuous quizzical eye at the mainsail anticking above him. He knew already the empty windiness of its threats,
  2. (obsolete) To make a fool of, to cause to look ridiculous.
    • c. 1603–1607, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra, Act II, Scene VII:
      Gentle lords, let's part; / You see we have burnt our cheeks: strong Enobarb / Is weaker than the wine; and mine own tongue / Splits what it speaks: the wild disguise hath almost / Antick'd us all.
    • 1964, Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts:
      Whether one's surroundings were anticked up or not, one often felt one was living in another century at Roque.
    • 1982, The Picturesque Tour, page 25:
      Surtees became a friend of Walter Scott and played a very "anticking" joke upon the author.
  3. (transitive, rare) To perform (an action) as an antic; to mimic ridiculously.
    • 1931, William Faulkner, Sanctuary, Vintage 1993, page 70:
      She unfastened her dress, her arms arched thin and high, her shadow anticking her movements.
Translations

Etymology 2

From anticipation.

Noun

antic (plural antics)

  1. (animation) A pose, often exaggerated, in anticipation of an action; for example, a brief squat before jumping

References

  1. ↑ Funk, W. J., Word origins and their romantic stories, New York, Wilfred Funk, Inc.
  • OED 2nd edition 1989
  • antic in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • antic in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Anagrams

Catalan

Etymology

From Old Occitan antic, from Latin antīquus (variant antīcus).

Pronunciation

  • (Balearic, Central) IPA(key): /ənˈtik/
  • (Valencian) IPA(key): /anˈtik/
  • Rhymes: -ik

Adjective

antic (feminine antiga, masculine plural antics, feminine plural antigues)

  1. old

See also

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin antīquus. Compare the inherited antive (from the Latin feminine antīqua, which influenced the masculine equivalent form antif; compare also the evolution of Spanish antiguo).

Adjective

antic m (oblique and nominative feminine singular antique)

  1. ancient; very old

Descendants

See also

Old Occitan

Etymology

From Latin antīquus (variant antīcus).

Adjective

antic

  1. ancient; very old

Descendants

See also

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French antique, from Latin antiquus.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈan.tik/, /anˈtik/

Adjective

antic m, n (feminine singular antică, masculine plural antici, feminine and neuter plural antice)

  1. ancient

Declension

Noun

antic m (plural antici)

  1. ancient

Declension

See also

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