antediluvian
pronunciation
How to pronounce antediluvian in British English:
UK [ˌæntidɪˈlu:viən]
How to pronounce antediluvian in American English:
US [ˌæntɪdəˈluviən]
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- Noun:
- any of the early patriarchs who lived prior to the Deluge
- a very old (or old fashioned) person
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- Adjective:
- of or relating to the period before the Biblical flood
- so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period
Word Origin
- antediluvian (adj.)
- "before Noah's flood," 1640s, formed from Latin ante- "before" (see ante) + diluvium "a flood" (see deluge (n.)). Coined by English physician Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682). As a noun meaning "person who lived before the Flood," from 1680s.
Example
- 1. To the economists , mrs thatcher 's approach was positively antediluvian .
- 2. She was more than old-fashioned , she was an antediluvian .
- 3. 9 See joke : baby a knot in one 's heart ; antediluvian .
- 4. The internet is evolving into the " cloud " - a network of thousands of data centers any one of which makes a 1990 supercomputer look antediluvian .
- 5. Hair ribbon is really " antediluvian " , but in this glaring season , showed its particular fascination however .