preadamite

1 of 2

noun

pre·​adamite

prē+

1

: an inhabitant of the earth before Adam

2

: one who holds that men existed before Adam

specifically : a follower of the doctrine of Isaac La Peyrère that only the Jews are descendants of Adam and that the Gentiles descend from men who lived before Adam

preadamite

2 of 2

adjective

pre·​adamite

(ˈ)prē+

variants or less commonly preadamic

¦prē+

or preadamitical

(¦)prē¦adə¦mitə̇kəl

: existing before Adam : of a time prior to that of Adam

Word History

Etymology

Noun

New Latin praeadamita, from Latin prae- pre- + Adam (the first man in the Bible) + Latin -ita -ite

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