antediluvian en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˌæn.ti.dəˈlu.vi.ən/ (General-American)
- /ˌæn.tɪ.dɪˈluː.vɪ.ən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
- [-ɾə-] (General-American)
- /ˌæn.tə(ˌ)daɪˈlu.vi.ən/ (General-American)
- [-ɾi-] (General-American)
- /-tə-/ (General-American)
Etymology
PIE word *dwís From ante- (prefix meaning ‘prior to in time’) + Latin dīluvium (“a flood”) + -an (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives; and forming agent nouns), referring the story of Noah’s Ark, through which God rescues Noah, his family, and examples of all the world’s animals from the great flood, which is related in Genesis 6–9 of the Bible. Dīluvium is derived from dīluō (“to wash away”) (from dis- (prefix meaning ‘apart, asunder, in two’) + lavō (“to wash”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewh₃- (“to wash”))) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns). The English word is analyzable as ante- + diluvian. Adjective sense 2 (“long extinct”) is from the fact that such animals and plants were originally believed to have perished in the biblical flood referred to above.
Meanings
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Belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis, or (by extension) to a great or destructive flood or deluge described in other mythologies.
The great Egyptian age is but a remnant of the Atlantean culture / The antediluvian kings colonized the world / All the gods who play in the mythological dramas / In all legends from all lands were from fair Atlantis
1968 November, Donovan Leitch, “Atlantis”, in Barabajagal, performed by Donovan, New York, N.Y.: Epic Records, →OCLC:For Noah, vvho had no doubt preach'd againſt the Vices of the Antediluvian VVorld, and againſt Drunkenneſs among the reſt, muſt certainly knovv the Uſe of the Vine, and the Abuſe of it too; hovv elſe did he come to plant it at all, and to preſs the Juice out for Drinking it at all?
1727, [Daniel Defoe], “Of what Shapes the Devil Assum’d in His First Appearances to the Magicians, and Others, in the First Ages of the World; and whether He is, or has been,, Allow’d to Assume a Human Shape, or No”, in A System of Magick; or, A History of the Black Art. […], London: […] J. Roberts […], →OCLC, page 95:[P]erhaps ſome perſons might outlive Methuſelah; the Text intending onely the maſculine line of Seth, conduceable unto the Genealogy of our Saviour, and the antediluvian Chronology.
1646, Thomas Browne, “Of Methuselah”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], London: […] T[homas] H[arper] for Edward Dod, […], →OCLC, 7th book, pages 343–344:
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(broadly) Of animals and plants: long extinct; prehistoric.
Having already described him [the whale] in most of his present habitatory and anatomical peculiarities, it now remains to magnify him in an archæological, fossiliferous, and antediluvian point of view.
1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “The Fossil Whale”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 506:
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(excessive, figuratively, humorous) Of a person or thing: very old; ancient.
The air inside smelled antediluvian, regal somehow, with traces of pipe tobacco, tea leaves, cooking sherry, and the earthen aroma of stone architecture.
2003, Dan Brown, chapter 54, in The Da Vinci Code, [London]: BCA, published 2005, page 226:There was an antediluvian tradition (much older than Shakespeare) that on Midsummer's Night young people should go with lanterns, and a fiddler, and a keg or two of cider, to a patch of turf known as Donkey's Green in the heart of the woods and there celebrate the solstice with dancing.
1969 November 10, John Fowles, chapter 12, in The French Lieutenant’s Woman, 1st US edition, Boston, Mass.; Toronto, Ont.: Little, Brown and Company […], →OCLC, page 90:If we agree with [Alan] Blinder's assessment, we must acknowledge the pressing need to inject new ideas into an old system—a system so antediluvian that it is, remarkably, still based on the agrarian calendar.
2010, Sam Chaltain, “Connect (or, Make the Connections that Let You ‘See the Whole Board’)”, in American Schools: The Art of Creating a Democratic Learning Community, Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Education, →ISBN, page 41:On the shore were the remains of an antediluvian forest with ugly black stumps showing, and further up an old stubby deserted lighthouse.
1947, Malcolm Lowry, chapter 1, in Under the Volcano, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock:[H]is eldest son Bo-bo, […] let some sparks escape into a bundle of straw, which kindling quickly, spread the conflagration over every part of their poor mansion, till it was reduced to ashes. Together with the cottage (a sorry antediluvian make-shift of a building, you may think it), what was of much more importance, a fine litter of new-farrowed pigs, no less than nine in number, perished.
1823, Elia [pseudonym; Charles Lamb], “A Dissertation upon a Roast Pig”, in Elia. Essays which have Appeared under that Signature in The London Magazine, London: […] [Thomas Davison] for Taylor and Hessey, […], →OCLC, page 277:
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(excessive, figuratively, humorous) Of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent; antiquated.
If, by any miſchance, and in an evil hour, ſome country couſin, not knovving my vvays, or ſome antediluvian prig, not minding them, happen to fall upon me vvith formal ſpeeches, vvhere I can make no eſcape, a fit of yavvning takes me immediately, and I am demoliſhed for the reſt of the day.
1796, [Frances Burney], “A Chat”, in Camilla: Or, A Picture of Youth. […], volume III, London: […] T[homas] Payne, […]; and T[homas] Cadell Jun. and W[illiam] Davies (successors to Mr. [Thomas] Cadell) […], →OCLC, book V, pages 78–79:Those ideas are antediluvian.
Portions of the ruling reflected the court's culturally conservative roots, stating that because marriage is only for reproduction, LGBTQ relationships are unnatural because they cannot produce children. […] The ruling continued in its surprisingly antediluvian rationale, invalidating untold numbers of nontraditional families.
2021 December 3, “LGBTQ Couples, Families and Marriage are ‘against the Natural Order,’ Thai Constitutional Court Rules”, in Coconuts Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand: Coconuts Media, archived from the original on 19 Mar 2023:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most antediluvian | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| antedeluvian | alternative | lexicographic | |
| more antediluvian | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
cherry · nascent · newish · youngthly · brand spanking new · youthful · green · unused · virginal · youngling · youthsome · youthful · young · red-hot · hebetic · freshly made · mint · youngsome · baby-faced · postdiluvian · new-laid · youngly · all-new · youthly · fresh · postdiluvial · hot · virgin · verdurous · pristine · brand new · juvenile · novel · new
Coordinates
Deriveds
antediluvianly · antediluvianism · antediluvial · antediluvially
Relateds
postdiluvian · prediluvian · diluvial · diluvium · diluvian · deluge · postdiluvial
Synonyms
desuete · archaic · prehistoric · primitive · old-fashioned · preflood · dootsie · out of date · moss-grown · antique · age-old · antediluvian · extinct · outmoded · expired · superannuated · workless · idle · antediluvial · old · fossilized · aged · cobwebby · older than the hills · decrepit · antediluvian · antediluvial · oldfangled · outdated · Miss Havishamesque · out of the ark · unoccupied · antediluvial · auld · eldern · old as the hills · eld · antiquated · obsolete · backwards · passé · behind the times · older than dirt · gamol · mouldy · anachronistic · discontinued · out of fashion · olden · venerable · dated · venerable · superseded · parachronistic · elderly · backward · hoary · defunct · ancient · Havishamesque · older than the Pyramids · hoary · prediluvian · cobwebby · gray · outworn · wintry · cobwebbed · old · unemployed · old as the Pyramids · cobwebbed · old school · disused
Translations (70)
it antediluviano (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · hy անդրջրհեղեղյան (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · pl przedpotopowy (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · mk претпотопски (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · nb hønngammel (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · ru допото́пный (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · mk претпотопски (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · ca antediluvià (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · es antediluviano (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · ru допото́пный (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · nl antiek (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · de vorsintflutlich (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · pl przedpotopowy (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · ru допото́пный (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · fi vedenpaisumusta edeltävä (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · bg допото́пен (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · uk допото́пний (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · de vorsintflutlich (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · mk претпотопски (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · cs předpotopní (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to a great or destructive flood or deluge described in other mythologies) · nb antediluviansk (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · nl antediluviaal (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to a great or destructive flood or deluge described in other mythologies) · ca antediluvià (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · pl pradziejowy (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · pt antediluviano (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to a great or destructive flood or deluge described in other mythologies) · nb som tilhører tiden før syndfloden (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · ka წარღვნამდელი (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · it antidiluviano (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · it antediluviano (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · fr antédiluvien (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · fr antédiluvien (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · ca antediluvià (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · nb antikvert (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · cs předpotopní (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · pl przedpotopowy (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to a great or destructive flood or deluge described in other mythologies) · nb antediluviansk (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to a great or destructive flood or deluge described in other mythologies) · ru доистори́ческий (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · nl prehistorisch (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · fi aataminaikainen (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · hy անդրջրհեղեղյան (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · cs předpotopní (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · de altfränkisch (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · ca antediluvià (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to a great or destructive flood or deluge described in other mythologies) · nb prehistorisk (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · uk допото́пний (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · fr antédiluvien (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · uk допото́пний (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to a great or destructive flood or deluge described in other mythologies) · bg допото́пен (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · hu begyepesedett (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · nl zeer ouderwets (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · fi antediluviaani (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to a great or destructive flood or deluge described in other mythologies) · it antediluviano (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · pt antediluviano (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · bg допото́пен (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · it antidiluviano (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · ro antediluvian (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · eo antaŭdiluva (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · cs předpotopní (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · it antidiluviano (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · nl behorend tot de tijd voor de zondvloed (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · mk претпотопен (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to the great flood described in Genesis) · nb førhistorisk (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · ru допото́пный (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to a great or destructive flood or deluge described in other mythologies) · fi antediluviaaninen (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to a great or destructive flood or deluge described in other mythologies) · hy անդրջրհեղեղյան (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to a great or destructive flood or deluge described in other mythologies) · de vorsintflutlich (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · uk допото́пний (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric) · fi aataminaikainen (of attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent — see also antiquated) · mk претпотопски (belonging or pertaining to, or existing in, the time prior to a great or destructive flood or deluge described in other mythologies) · hy անդրջրհեղեղյան (of animals and plants: long extinct — see also prehistoric)
wikipedia: Gustave Doré · wikipedia: Noah’s Ark · wikipedia: Noah