Of or relating to the period before the fall of Adam and Eve.
[PRE- + Latin lāpsus, fall; see lapse + -ARIAN.]
Dictionary:
pre·lap·sar·i·an (prē'lăp-sâr'ē-ən) ![]() |
| Wordsmith Words: prelapsarian |
(pree-lap-SAYR-ee-uhn)
adjective
Relating to any innocent or carefree period in the past.
Etymology
From Latin pre- (before) + lapsus (fall). The term refers to the period in the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve lost their innocence
| Word Overheard: prelapsarian |
Nicholas Kristof reached back to the dawn of time with his battle cry for liberals to take on questions of religion, meanwhile contributing a top Alt-Click:
"The squeamishness about sexuality led the church into such absurdities as a debate about 'prelapsarian sex': the question of whether Adam and Eve might have slept together in the Garden of Eden."
Link: Liberal Bible-Thumping
Posted May 16, 2005.
See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.
| Obscure Words: prelapsarian |
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Copyrights:
![]() | 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 | |
![]() | Word Overheard. © 1999-2009 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved. Read more | |
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