Ante

How to spell ante

4 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce ante

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does ante mean?

1. nounA stake that each player puts into the pot before a hand of cards is dealt; by extension, the amount required to take part in something.
2. verbTo pay a stake or contribution, especially before play begins.

Ante in a sentence

• noun

  Every player dropped a chip into the pot as the ante for the next hand.

• verb

  Each newcomer had to ante before the first card was turned over.

• noun

  The dealer reminded the table that the ante had doubled for the final round.

• verb

  The rules require every seat to ante at the start of the round.

Where does ante come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes straight from the Latin ante, a small but busy word meaning 'before' or 'in front of', whether in place or in time. In English it long survived only as the prefix in words like 'antecedent' (something that goes before) and 'antechamber' (a room before the main room). The standalone gambling sense arose in American card playing in the early 1800s, where the ante was the stake each player paid in 'before' the cards were dealt; the idea of paying in advance is exactly what the Latin root captures. From the card table it spread into general use, especially in the phrase 'up the ante', meaning to raise the stakes of any contest. Because the Latin ante looks and sounds so close to the Greek-derived 'anti' (meaning 'against'), and to the casual 'auntie', the spelling is an easy one to slip on.

How the word is built

• ante (from Latin ante: before, here a stake put in before play begins)

Words that sound like ante

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• auntie: An affectionate, informal name for an aunt, the sister of one's mother or father, or an uncle's wife.