Meanings
- Before the term existed; before the term was coined.
In the fifteenth century, he espoused ecology ante litteram. He endorsed ecology before the term "ecology" existed.
2 more examples
What could have been a moral victory or arguably a feminist struggle ante litteram remains a farcical squabble between a nagging wife and a ridiculous old man.
2007, Patricia Vilches, Gerald E. Seaman, Seeking Real Truths: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Machiavelli, page 191the new mass media played an increasingly crucial role throughout the nineteenth century as an ante litteram CNN.
2011, Davide Rodogno, Against Massacre: Humanitarian Interventions in the Ottoman Empire, 1815-1914, page 16Synonyms: avant la lettre
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseBefore the term existed; before the term was coined.
Origin
- Latinante“before”
- Englishante litteram
From Latin ante (“before”) + litteram, accusative singular of littera (“letter, writing”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
ante litteram. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ante%20litteram
“ante litteram.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ante%20litteram. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ante litteram,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ante%20litteram.
Source: ante litteram on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.