biblical

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   relating to, contained in, or characteristic of the Bible

   The lecture compared several biblical accounts of creation.

2. 2
   adj

   regarded as consistent with the teachings of the Bible

   The two groups disagreed over what counted as biblical conduct.

3. 3
   adj

   figurative: extremely large, severe, or momentous in scale

   After weeks of rain, the river rose to biblical proportions.

From Medieval Latin biblicus, 'of the Bible,' plus the English adjective suffix -al. Biblicus comes ultimately from Greek biblia, 'books,' the plural form that became the name of the Christian scriptures. The figurative sense evokes the immense events and disasters described in biblical narratives.

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