The phrase "an ancient term" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a word or expression that has been in use for a very long time, often with historical significance.
Example: "The word 'alchemy' is an ancient term that refers to the medieval forerunner of chemistry."
Alternatives: "a historical term" or "a time-honored term".
The hairdresser replies, "Frosting is an ancient term".
The name yen derives from an ancient term for Chinese round coins (yuan).
The other group pieces performed by Mereminne (pronounced MEH-ray-MEE-nay, it is an ancient term for mermaid), could have used editing.
London may have the Home Counties, but the French capital is wrapped in something rather more exotic: the Ile-de-France, an ancient term that is now defined as the eight départements that make up the Paris region.
The role of makar – an ancient term for a poet or bard often under royal or noble patronage – was created by the then first minister Jack McConnell and conferred in 2004 on Edwin Morgan without competition, and without controversy since he was seen as so preeminently the man for the job.
He seems to assume that "freedom" is the aspect under which any choice is made, its "formal object," to revive an ancient term.
There are many terms for people who have left Orthodox Judaism: apikores (an ancient Hebrew term for "apostate"); chozer b'she'elah (a decorous Israeli term, which translates roughly to "one who returns with questions"); frei (Yiddish for "free," usually used in a derogatory fashion); and "O.T.D.," or "off the derech" ("derech" is Hebrew for "path").
As the camera pans to the audience, the task becomes more difficult, as every head-bob from the silent crowd whispers a silent "Amen" -- that ancient term that says "what you are saying is TRUE".
The term "ukiyo", which can be translated as "floating world", was homophonous with an ancient Buddhist term signifying "this world of sorrow and grief".
FEW words in English suffer from such overuse and misuse as tragedy, an ancient literary term that has come to refer, in modern vernacular, to just about anything bad.
Begun on 18 October last year, the Italian mission – named after an ancient Roman term for the Mediterranean – was launched in response to two mass drownings off the Italian coast that month.
