ANCIENT (2)

An″cient, n. 1. 1. pl. Those who lived in former ages, as opposed to the moderns.
2. 2. An aged man; a patriarch. Hence: A governor; a ruler; a person of influence.
The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof. Isa. iii. 14. 3. 3. A senior; an elder; a predecessor.
Junius and Andronicus . . . in Christianity . . . were his ancients. Hooker. 4. 4. pl. (Eng. Law) One of the senior members of the Inns of Court or of Chancery.
Council of Ancients (French Hist.), one of the two assemblies composing the legislative bodies in 1795. Brande.