antiquary

/ˈæntɪkw(ə)ɹi/

//ˈæntɪkw(ə)ɹi// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"antiquary" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“antiquary” is uncommon English (frequency #62,676 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,676
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who is knowledgeable of, or who collects antiques (especially one holding an official position); an antiquarian.

Corpus desk

Index EN-antiquary · antiquary · English

antiquary · rank #62,676 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #62,676
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH applejack

Nearest frequency peer: applejack (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “antiquary”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “antiquary” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for antiquary
PropertyValue
Headwordantiquary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæntɪkw(ə)ɹi/
Letters9
Frequency rank#62,676
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “antiquary” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).antiquaryfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “applejack” (#62,677), “areola” (#62,679), “armrest” (#62,681). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “antiquary” is #62,676. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

antiquary is uncommon English at frequency #62,676 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈæntɪkw(ə)ɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for antiquary, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin antīquārius (“pertaining to antiquity, one fond of or employed in antiquities”), from antīquus (“ancient”) + -ārius; equivalent to antique + -ary. The correct English form is antiquary, spelled A-N-T-I-Q-U-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who is knowledgeable of, or who collects antiques (especially one holding an official position); an antiquarian.
  2. 2
    An aficionado or student of antiquities, ancient artifacts, historic sites, ancient writings, or relics of the past.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how antiquary appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The sound of the bubbling water grew more distinct, as the ear became accustomed to its music: it reminded him of one very like it in Etheringhame Park. Both might have made the delight of either antiquary or poet.

Etymology

From Latin antīquārius (“pertaining to antiquity, one fond of or employed in antiquities”), from antīquus (“ancient”) + -ārius; equivalent to antique + -ary.

This word in other languages

anticuario(Español)antiquaire(Français)Antiquar(Deutsch)antiquário(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "antiquary"?
"antiquary" is spelled A-N-T-I-Q-U-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæntɪkw(ə)ɹi/.
What does "antiquary" mean?
As a noun, "antiquary" means: A person who is knowledgeable of, or who collects antiques (especially one holding an official position); an antiquarian.
How do you pronounce "antiquary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "antiquary" is /ˈæntɪkw(ə)ɹi/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "antiquary"?
From Latin antīquārius (“pertaining to antiquity, one fond of or employed in antiquities”), from antīquus (“ancient”) + -ārius; equivalent to antique + -ary. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "antiquary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

applejack#62,677attenuate#62,688baguettes#62,693bemoaning#62,705

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list