Where does “antediluvian” come from?
Antediluvian comes from English ante- combined with diluvian, from Latin ante meaning "before" and Latin diluviānus from diluvium "flood," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ meaning "to flow."
antediluvian (English): Ancient or antiquated; Extremely dated;...
Definitions
- Ancient or antiquated; Extremely dated;...
Ancestry of “antediluvian”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ante- | Prior to in time; In front of in space; anterior |
| 2 | Latin | ante | before, in front, forwards; before; before,... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | κλίσις | bending, inclination; a lying down; a place for... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -σῐς | "suffix forming nouns" |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -τις | retained after dentals |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |