The idea of yesteryear refers to times past.
In order to begin to know the meaning of the term ancient that concerns us now, we have to explain that it is a word whose etymological origin is in Latin. Specifically, it is the result of the sum of these two components:
-The prefix ante- , which can be translated as "before."
-The noun annum , which is synonymous with "year."
The concept refers to a past time period : that is, one that is located in the past . For example: "Children no longer study like they used to: now they use technology to search for information and read" , "In this small town several rituals from yesteryear are still preserved" , "The stadiums of yesteryear were smaller and had structures of wood" .
As of yesteryear and of yesteryear
When the phrase "as in the past" is used, a comparison is usually made between the past and the present . If a man mentions that he would like to spend the entire summer on the beach "like in the past" , he is implying that, currently, he no longer enjoys the entire summer season in a beach environment. Likewise, those who say that they would like to have lunch on Sundays with their family "like in the past" reveal that this shared family ritual is no longer carried out.
The phrase "of yesteryear" can also be used to name what is typical of previous years, decades or centuries . It could be said, in this sense, that sending a fax is an action "of yesteryear" : today it is much more common to establish written communications through email . Traveling on horseback, writing on a typewriter, sending letters through the mail and listening to music on cassettes are also customs or activities "of yesteryear" , left in the past due to the advance of technology (and the invention of the automobile, the computer and Internet that allowed them to be replaced).
Using a typewriter is an ancient practice.
Use of the term in famous phrases
There are numerous famous phrases that use the word we are now discussing. Among the most significant, some like these stand out:
– «Do not look in nests of yesteryear, for birds flying» ( Miguel de Cervantes , writer).
– "I believe with the Romans of old that today's general must be tomorrow, if necessary, a private soldier" ( Thomas Jefferson , the third president of the United States of America ).
– «Today's pilots are athletes who sell their abilities for money. The drivers of yesteryear did not risk their lives for anything, but sport came before money" ( Enzo Ferrari , founder of the Ferrari team).
– «The great lords are almost the only people from whom you can learn as much as from the peasants; His conversation is adorned with everything that refers to the land, the mansions as they were once inhabited, the ancient customs, everything that the world of money is profoundly ignorant of” ( Marcel Proust , writer).
Wines of yesteryear
It should not be overlooked that we also find its use in wines.
Thus, there is a winery in Spain , Bodegas Carrión , that sells what are "Vinos de Antaño" . They have the Rioja Designation of Origin and present varieties such as Crianza, Reserva or Tempranillo, among others.