Methuselah

American  

[muh-thoo-zuh-luh, -thooz-luh] / məˈθu zə lə, -ˈθuz lə /

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).

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Methuselah ¹ British  

/ 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

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Methuselah ² British  

/ məˈθjuːzələ /

noun

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

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Methuselah Cultural  

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.

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Discover More

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

Etymology

Origin of Methuselah

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.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 16, 2025

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.

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2024

After five to 10 years—or, for one Methuselah, 22 years—the eels undergo a final metamorphosis into chonky silver eels and make one last journey to their original birthing grounds near the Mariana Islands to spawn.

From National Geographic • Feb. 9, 2024

In 2003, the Methuselah Foundation gave its first MPrize for therapies that extended life span in mice.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 29, 2023

At first I wanted Methuselah to come back and live in his cage, until Father explained to me that this whole arrangement was wrong.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver