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postdiluvian

postdiluvian

1 9.9
Existing after the great flood in the Bible
  • adjective
  • /ˌpoʊstdɪˈluːviən/
  • Archaic
: postdiluviano
  • This young generation, with nothing sacred to them, reduces everything to a postdiluvian shambles.

Examples

  • Many postdiluvian cultures adapted their living styles to the changes brought by the flood.

  • The postdiluvian landscape was filled with new life following the great flood described in the Bible.

  • Nevertheless, the trilogy closes on a rather hopeful note: even an all-out eco-disaster can lead to postdiluvian rebirth.

    Academic text (2018)
  • In other words, some rock layers and possibly some fossils were deposited before the Flood, while other layers and fossils were produced in postdiluvian localized catastrophic sedimentation events or processes.

    Blog text (8)
  • In literature, postdiluvian themes often explore humanity's struggle to rebuild after catastrophic events.

Surface Forms

postdiluvian positive

Morphology

postdiluvian = diluvian (semi-transparent) = post + diluvian

The meaning 'after the Flood' is compositionally clear from 'post-' + 'diluvian', but 'diluvian' is a relatively rare/archaic base that many learners may not know.

Etymology

Postdiluvian breaks into post- meaning 'after' (as in postwar) and diluvian, from a word for 'flood' or 'deluge'. So postdiluvian describes something that exists or happens 'after the flood', which is why it is used for the time after Noah's flood.