A.Word.A.Day -- prelapsarian

A.Word.A.Day

Home

Sep 25, 2006

This week's theme
Miscellaneous words

This week's words
prelapsarian
senectitude
diacritical
theriac
prevenient

A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

Post No Bills. Have you ever seen a wall with that notice pasted on it? That reminds me of books, manuals, and annual reports with a "blank" page bearing the text: "This page intentionally left blank." In the same vein, this week's A.Word.A.Day theme is intentionally left blank. Instead, I've selected a potpourri of interesting words to examine this week.

prelapsarian

(pree-lap-SAYR-ee-uhn)

adjective: Relating to any innocent or carefree period in the past.

From Latin pre- (before) + lapsus (fall). The term refers to the period in the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve lost their innocence.

"Telluride [film festival] took place in the bucolic setting of the Colorado mountains in the prelapsarian weeks prior to September 11."
B. Ruby Rich; Season's Greetings; The Nation (New York); Oct 22, 2001 .

See more usage examples of prelapsarian in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

X-Bonus

History teaches that grave threats to liberty often come in times of urgency, when constitutional rights seem too extravagant to endure. -Thurgood Marshall, US Supreme Court Justice (1908-1993)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise