Methuselah

[muh-thoo-zuh-luh, -thooz-luh]

noun

1. (in the Bible) a patriarch who is said to have lived 969 years.

2. an extremely old man.

3. a very large wine bottle holding 6½ quarts (6 liters).

Methuselah

¹

/ məˈθjuːzələ /

noun

1. a wine bottle holding the equivalent of eight normal bottles

Methuselah

²

/ mɪˈθjuːzələ /

noun

1. Douay spelling: Mathusala. Old Testament a patriarch supposed to have lived 969 years (Genesis 5:21–27) who has come to be regarded as epitomizing longevity

Methuselah

1. The oldest man mentioned in the Bible (see also Bible); according to the Book of Genesis, he was the grandfather of Noah and lived to be 969 years old.

Figuratively, a “Methuselah” is an extremely old person.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Methuselah¹

Ultimately from Hebrew Mĕthūshelaḥ; of uncertain meaning, perhaps “man of (the deity) Shela”

Example Sentences

He’s also become the pale face of the academy, which also houses a 93-year-old fish named Methuselah.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In one such project, a student set out to determine the average lifespan of bella moth adults and inadvertently stumbled across the Methuselah of the moth world.

Read more on Science Daily

Worries about the advanced age of leading politicians are as old as Methuselah.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The oldest known star is called the Methuselah star.

Read more on Space Scoop

Officially, the oldest tree on Earth is Methuselah, a bristlecone pine of the species Pinus longaeva in the Inyo National Forest of California that is at least 4,789 years old, according to the U.S.

Read more on Scientific American