Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or produced by a flood.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Pertaining to a flood or deluge, especially to the deluge recorded in Genesis.
  • In geology, related to or consisting of diluvium.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to a flood or deluge, esp. to the great deluge in the days of Noah; diluvian.
  • adjective (Geol.) Effected or produced by a flood or deluge of water; -- said of coarse and imperfectly stratified deposits along ancient or existing water courses. Similar unstratified deposits were formed by the agency of ice. The time of deposition has been called the Diluvian epoch.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Relating to or produced by a flood or deluge.
  • adjective Pertaining to Noah's Flood.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective of or connected with a deluge

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Late Latin dīluviālis, from Latin dīluvium, flood, from dīluere, to wash away; see dilute.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Latin diluvium ("flood")

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word diluvial.

Examples

  • It may also be remarked that, common as is the occurrence of diluvial animal bones in the muddy deposits of caverns, such remains have not hitherto been met with in the caves of the Neanderthal; and that the bones, which were covered by a deposit of mud not more than four or five feet thick, and without any protective covering of stalagmite, have retained the greatest part of their organic substance.

    Essays 2007

  • It has even been supposed that in diluvial deposits the presence of ‘dendrites’ might be regarded as affording a certain mark of distinction between bones mixed with the diluvium at a somewhat later period and the true diluvial relics, to which alone it was supposed that these deposits were confined.

    Essays 2007

  • The amount of land necessary to yield sufficient water relates to annual rainfall, which varies from parched to diluvial locales.

    How to Build Your Own Bass Pond 2004

  • The Old Town occupies a sloping ridge or tail of diluvial matter, protected, in some subsidence of the waters, by the Castle cliffs which fortify it to the west.

    Edinburgh Picturesque Notes 2005

  • Outside the kitchen, I could taste the air and know that a storm would be arriving in six days, catch a snowflake on my tongue and surmise when spring would come or discern the diluvial temperament of the river by sampling its waters.

    Archive 2003-11-01 Dean Francis Alfar 2003

  • Outside the kitchen, I could taste the air and know that a storm would be arriving in six days, catch a snowflake on my tongue and surmise when spring would come or discern the diluvial temperament of the river by sampling its waters.

    notes from the peanut gallery Dean Francis Alfar 2003

  • The vapors gradually condensed in diluvial rains, which fell as if they had leapt from the necks of thousands of millions of seltzer water bottles.

    The Underground City 2003

  • This high authority maintained that the soil of Moulin Quignon was not diluvial at all, but was of much more recent formation; and, agreeing in that with Cuvier, he refused to admit that the human species could be contemporary with the animals of the quaternary period.

    Journey to the Interior of the Earth 2003

  • But above the diluvial wreck of the Winchester estates there has arisen an estate far more royal and magnificent, and beneath a far-reaching bow of promise, sealed in magical security against a similar disaster.

    The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 12, No. 71, September, 1863 Various

  • This summer the waters of Maine were diluvial, the feeding-grounds were swamped.

    The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 10, No. 61, November, 1862 Various

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.