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antebellum

 
Dictionary: an·te·bel·lum   (ăn'tē-bĕl'əm) pronunciation
adj.
Belonging to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War.

[Latin ante bellum : ante, before + bellum, war.]


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Wordsmith Words: antebellum
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(an-tee-BEL-uhm)

adjective
Relating to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War (1861-1865).

Etymology
From Latin ante (before) + bellum (war). Some other words that have derived from Latin bellum are belligerent, rebel, postbellum, and duel.

Usage
"Historians enthusiastically describe Blandair as a treasure trove of Maryland farm life that reflects the last years of antebellum society." — Susan DeFord; Howard Survivor Has Rosy Future; The Washington Post; Mar 9, 2003.

"This charming antebellum mansion, built in 1854, remains one of the area's most famous landmarks and has achieved celebrity status since its purchase ten years ago." — Loriann Hoff Oberlin; Tara Revisited; Saturday Evening Post (Indianapolis, Indiana); Jan 11, 1994.


US Military Dictionary: antebellum
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[ܖæntēܒbelǝm]

ܖæntēˈbelǝm adj. occurring or existing before a particular war, especially the Civil War: the conventions of the antebellum South.

Etymology: mid 19th cent.: from Latin, from ante ‘before’ and bellum ‘war.’

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

Architecture: antebellum
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Dating before or existing before the US Civil War (1861–1865).


History Dictionary: antebellum
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(an-tee-bel-uhm)

A descriptive term for objects and institutions, especially houses, that originated three or four decades before the Civil War. Antebellum is Latin for “before the war.”

Latin Phrase: Ante Bellum
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Before the war. Usually used to describe the United States before the U.S. Civil War (1861-65). Typically spelled antebellum in English.

 
 

 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wordsmith Words. © 2009 Wordsmith.org. All rights reserved.  Read more
US Military Dictionary. The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Architecture. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
History Dictionary. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.  Read more
Answers Corporation Latin Phrase. © 1999-2009 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more