Biblical

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈbɪblɪkəl/

Definitions

1. Pertaining to the religious texts revered in Judaism and Christianity, particularly in context with stories or moral lessons found in these scriptures
2. Referring to themes, narratives, or figures that originate from the holy scriptures of Christianity and Judaism, often with ethical implications
3. Relating to the sacred writings of Judaism and Christianity, this term encompasses narratives, teachings, and moral principles derived from these texts

Etymology: The adjective "biblical" traces back to a plant. In ancient Greece, "byblos" was the papyrus reed, and the Phoenician port of Byblos (modern Jbeil in Lebanon) was a major exporter of papyrus, so the town's name came to stand for the material written on it. From this came "biblion," a little scroll or book, and the plural "biblia," "the books," which Christians later used for their scriptures. The Latin "Biblia" was borrowed from this Greek plural and treated as a feminine singular, a grammatical slip that made the sacred collection feel like one book. Medieval Latin then formed the adjective "biblicus," and English took the word in the form "biblical" by adding its own "-al" suffix to "bible," which entered English from Old French and Latin. The adjective therefore carries the whole chain: a reed, a port, a scroll, and a library of texts gathered into one name.

Synonyms: scriptural, sacred, holy, religious, divine

Antonyms: secular, profane, irreverent, mundane, worldly