Today's word has been used by English-speakers as far back as 1657, according to the Page-A-Day calendar.
antediluvian
1. of or relating to the period before the flood described in the Bible
2. made, evolved or developed a long time ago
From the calendar: By the early 1700s, antediluvian came to be used to describe anything or anyone prodigiously old. Darwin used it to describe the mighty "antediluvian trees" he saw in his travels.
Today's word is inspired by the cab driver I had in Baltimore recently. He missed his calling to drive a firetruck.
jehu
noun
A driver especially of a cab or coach; specifically: one who drives fast or recklessly
Stargazers and those who follow Roman mythology might be familiar with canicular.
Canicular
noun
Of or relating to the dog days of summer
Today's word, Nimrod, is described in Genesis as the "first on earth to be a mighty man" and as "a mighty hunger before the lord."
The adjective mantic stems from the Greek mantis, meaning prophet.
In remembrance of the Last Supper, Christians mark today as Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday in some Protestant churches.
"Maundy" refers to the ceremony of washing the feet of the poor commemorating Jesus' washing of his disciples' feet on the night of the Last Supper.
The Word of the Day maudlin comes from the biblical character Mary Magdalene, who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears. She was also a witness to Jesus' crucifixion and the empty tomb. h/t Wordsmith.org
Among the annual Easter traditions for many Christians is welcoming new members to the church. About 510 people from the 15-county Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg are expected to join the church this weekend, which is down slightly from last year when 525 entered the fold.
Some are newly baptized (called catechumens), while others are converting after having been baptized in another Christian tradition (candidates). These figures do not include infant baptisms in the Catholic Church, which are recorded separately.
By the way, six of those to be initiated Sunday are from the State Correctional Institution at Coal Township in Northumberland County.
A fitting Word of the Day is neophyte. (Read more at the jump.)
