Antediluvian
[ an-tee-di-loo-vee-uhn ]
adjective
0
of or belonging to the period before the Flood. Genesis 7, 8.
1
very old, old-fashioned, or out of date; antiquated; primitive: antediluvian ideas.
antediluvian ideas.
noun
0
a person who lived before the Flood.
1
a very old or old-fashioned person or thing.
"before Noah's flood," 1640s, from Latin ante "before" (from PIE root *ant- "front, forehead," with derivatives meaning "in front of, before") + diluvium "a flood" (see deluge (n.)). Hence (humorously or disparagingly) "very antiquated" (1726). Coined by English physician Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682). As a noun meaning "person who lived before the Flood," from 1680s. Related: antediluvial (1823).