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biblical

Etymology and origin of the English word biblical

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1652

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈbɪb.lɪ.kəl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Bible and -ical,[2] or from obsolete biblic and -al.[3] The earlier adjective Biblic is from the 1680s.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Relating to the Bible: 1652 in Merriam-Webster, 1734 in Etymonline, 1790 in the OED.[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

It is used of things suggesting the people or times of the Bible, and of a style like that of the King James Bible.[5][6]

Timeline

  • 1652 – biblical.[3]
  • 1680s – Biblic.[2]
  • 1790 – biblical theology.[4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Of, relating to or found in the Bible.
  2. Resembling the Bible in style, especially the prose of the King James Version.
  3. Suggesting the people or times of the Bible.
  • biblicism
  • biblicist
  • Bible
  • bibliography
  • bibliophile

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Biblical.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/biblical. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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