antediluvian. adjective (and noun). Before the flood (Bible).
Quick shout out to Allamorph who suggested this week's word - you rock, as always.
So you take the Latin words for "before" (think of Poker when you "ante up") and "flood" (or "deluge", if you will), and you get the impressive-sounding word antediluvian. Most literally it refers to the biblical time "before the flood" that wiped out all the evils of the world (well, until Noah's kids screwed that up for everyone right afterwards, but that's besides the point). More poetically, it refers to antiquated things, or things from a much earlier time.
Also, antediluvian can be used as a noun, referring to a really old person (or maybe even literally a person who lived before the flood?). How harsh is that?!
The school board and its antediluvian ideals for education are going to ruin us.
I'm sorry my work was late; my computer broke and I had to work off this antediluvian typewriter we had in the basement.
We were minding our business when this old, haggard antediluvian came rushing at us with a flaming cardboard box...
I may need to try to use this word next Sunday...
(pl. noun form: antediluvians.)
