antiquarian:

also called ‘antiquary‘ with plural form ‘antiquaries’ & archaist; plural: ‘antiquarians‘)

‘Antiquities’ are objects (things) such as ornaments, furniture, statues, clothes, utensils, metal objects that were used very long ago and are still found intact or partially damaged that show us how the people of the very past lived, e.g. a wooden table of some hundred years old, an earring of a queen who ruled some thousands of years ago and even the original hand-written book of Shakespeare.

an antiquarian of books

a person who buys and sells very old but valuable things;

a person who has a lot of interest in old and rare objects, and studies and collects very old but valuable things (antiquities/antique),

an antiquarian exhibition

e.g.

An antiquarian may seem to be a fool who wastes his/her money on old things, but once you get to know the beauty and artistic value of those old things, you do not hesitate to be an antiquarian yourself!

Some antiquarians make a lot of money selling old things, including idols, weapons of the past or even a post card of the last century which had the picture of a celebrity.

In the present usage, ‘antiquarian’ is more commonly used in its adjective form to refer to people or things of the past, e.g. ‘antiquarian sale’, ‘antiquarian books’, ‘antiquarian exhibition’, etc.

About the Author:BC Kumar

BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language. Disclaimer: This is a free educational website and all content has been compiled by the author. All copyrights to images and videos belong to their respective owners.

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