different between vagary vs antic

English

Etymology

From Latin vagus (“wandering”).

Pronunciation

• (General American, formerly) IPA^(key): /v?????i/
• (General American, now commonly) IPA^(key): /?ve????i/

Noun

vagary (plural vagaries)

1. An erratic, unpredictable occurrence or action.
   • 1871, Charles Kingsley, At Last: A Christmas In The West Indies, ch. 8:

     It now turns out that the Pitch Lake, like most other things, owes its appearance on the surface to no convulsion or vagary at all, but to a most slow, orderly, and respectable process of nature, by which buried vegetable matter, which would have become peat, and finally brown coal, in a temperate climate, becomes, under the hot tropic soil, asphalt and oil.
2. An impulsive or illogical desire; a caprice or whim.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:whim

   • 1905, Jack London, War of the Classes, Preface:

     And then came the day when my socialism grew respectable,—still a vagary of youth, it was held, but romantically respectable.

Derived terms

• vagarity
• vagarious

Related terms

• vague
• vagrant
• vagabond

Translations

See also

• vaguery

Anagrams

• Varyag

English

Alternative forms

• antick

Pronunciation

• enPR: ?n't?k, IPA^(key): /?æn.t?k/
• Rhymes: -ænt?k

Etymology 1

Probably from Italian antico (“ancient”), used to describe ancient wall paintings from classical times, from Latin antiquus (“venerable”). See also grottesco (“grotesque”). Doublet of antique.

Adjective

antic (comparative more antic, superlative most antic)

1. Playful, funny, absurd
2. (architecture, art) Grotesque, incongruous.
3. (archaic) Grotesque, bizarre
4. Obsolete form of antique.

Related terms

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.
   • 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.

Translations

Verb

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

1. (intransitive) To perform antics, to caper.
2. (obsolete) To make a fool of, to cause to look ridiculous.
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

• OED 2nd edition 1989
• antic in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• antic in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• actin, actin', actin-, cain't, can it

Catalan

Etymology

From Old Occitan antic, from Latin ant?quus (variant ant?cus).

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /?n?tik/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /an?tik/
• Rhymes: -ik

Adjective

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

1. old

Derived terms

Related terms

• antiguitat

See also

• vell

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ant?quus. Compare the inherited antive (from the Latin feminine ant?qua, 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

• English: antique (borrowing)
• French: antique

See also

• ancien
• viel

Old Occitan

Etymology

From Latin ant?quus (variant ant?cus).

Adjective

antic

1. ancient; very old
   • 12th century, Bernard de Ventadour, Lancan folhon bosc e jarric

     Anc no vitz ome tan antic

     I've never seen a man so old

Descendants

• Catalan: antic
• Occitan: antic

See also

• vielh

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French antique, from Latin antiquus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?an.tik/, /an?tik/

Adjective

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

1. ancient

Declension

Noun

antic m (plural antici)

1. ancient

Declension

See also

• vechi
• demodat
• versat
• vetust