Noachian deluge
- noun
- /noʊˈeɪkiən ˈdɛljuːdʒ/
- Literature
:
diluvio noéico
- Could the Noachian deluge really have happened?
Examples
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The story of the Noachian deluge is found in both biblical and ancient Near Eastern literature.
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The Noachian deluge was catastrophic.
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Many ancient myths parallel the Noachian deluge, though details of the flood often differ.
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The Noachian deluge has inspired countless works of art and literature through the centuries.
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The story of the Noachian deluge teaches that humanity faced divine punishment for its wickedness.
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Many ancient cultures have their own versions of a great flood, similar to the Noachian deluge from the Bible.
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In the Book of Genesis, the Noachian deluge wiped out all life on Earth, except for Noah and his family.
Synonyms
75
2.4
A very large number of things that arrive suddenly
41
8.2
A great covering of water God sent in the Bible to destroy life, saving Noah and animals in an ark
11
6.3
A very heavy rain that causes flooding
2
6.5
A great flood sent by God in the Bible story of Noah that destroys the world because people are wicked
1
7.1
A Bible story of a great flood sent by God that Noah survives with his family in a large boat
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'Noachian' means 'relating to Noah/the Noah story' and 'deluge' means 'a great flood', so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to the great (biblical) flood associated with Noah. Although somewhat literary and infrequent, the referent (Noah's flood) is a widely known cultural concept across languages, so the meaning is directly derivable from the parts.
Etymology
Noachian deluge comes from the Bible story of Noah, where a very large flood covers the whole world and only Noah's boat, the ark, survives. The word Noachian refers to Noah and deluge means flood, so the phrase now means 'a very large flood' or is used for any huge disaster.