Plural of antiquarian; people who study, collect, or have a passionate interest in ancient things, old books, manuscripts, or historical artifacts.
From Latin antiquarius (relating to old things), from antiquus (ancient). The plural -s follows standard English noun formation. Became prominent in English during the Renaissance when collecting became scholarly.
Antiquarians were the original internet communities—17th-century collectors would spend their whole lives hunting down one rare manuscript, corresponding with fellow obsessives across Europe. They basically invented academic scholarship through passionate collecting.
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