ante

noun

1. Poker. a fixed but arbitrary stake put into the pot by each player before the deal.
2. an amount of money paid in advance to insure an individual’s share in a joint business venture.
3. Informal. an individual’s share of the total expenses incurred by a group.
4. Informal. the price or cost of something.

verb (used with object), an·ted or an·teed, an·te·ing.

5. Poker. to put (one’s initial stake) into the pot.
6. to produce or pay (one’s share) (usually followed by up): He anted up his half of the bill.

verb (used without object), an·ted or an·teed, an·te·ing.

7. Poker. to put one’s initial stake into the pot.
8. Informal. to pay (usually followed by up).

1. a prefix meaning “before,” used in the formation of compound words: anteroom; antebellum; antedate.

Latin.

1. see before (used especially to refer a reader to parts of a text).

noun

1. the gaming stake put up before the deal in poker by the players
2. informal a sum of money representing a person’s share, as in a syndicate
3. up the ante informal to increase the costs, risks, or considerations involved in taking an action or reaching a conclusionwhenever they reached their goal, they upped the ante by setting more complex challenges for themselves

verb -tes, -teing, -ted or -teed

4. to place (one’s stake) in poker
5. (usually foll by up) informal, mainly US to pay

prefix

1. before in time or position; previous to; in front ofantedate; antechamber

1838 (n.), 1846 (v.), American English poker slang, apparently from Latin ante “before,” from PIE *anti “facing opposite, near, in front of, before” (cf. Sanskrit antah “end, border, boundary,” Hittite hanti “opposite,” Greek anta, anten “opposite,” anti “over against, opposite, before;” Old Lithuanian anta “on to;” Gothic anda “along;” Old English and- “against;” German ent- “along, against”), from root *ant- “front, forehead.”

word-forming element meaning “before, in front of; previous, existing beforehand; introductory to,” from Latin ante (prep. and adv.) “before, in front of, opposite,” used in combinations, from PIE *anti “facing opposite, near, in front of, before” (see ante).

pref.

1. Prior to; earlier:antenatal.
2. In front of; before:antebrachium.