Pronounced: hi-PAH-kuh-rih-zuhm, noun
Notes: See tomorrow’s comments about this word
Yesterday’s word
The word Methuselah means
- an extremely old person
- an oversized wine bottle holding about six liters
First usage
Our word came into English in the late 1300s
Background / Comments
Methuselah is a biblical figure from the Old Testament – he is the longest lived individual, having lived 969 years. Adam, by contrast, lived to be 930 years. Most of the pre-flood individuals lived very long lives; Bible scholars believe that there are two primary reasons: first, since sin entered with Adam, it hadn’t done the damage that it did later (as time passed). Secondly, it is thought that the pre-flood earth was surrounded by a kind of watery canopy, which kept the temperature very moderate and screened out harmful rays. After the flood, the length of people’s lives decreased dramatically. I have no idea why a certain size wine bottle is called by this name.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 