Lapsarian

[Dr. Goodword]

• lapsarian •

Pronunciation: læp-ser-ri-ên • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun, adjective

Meaning: Someone who believes the doctrine of the fall of man from innocence.

Notes: Here is a word that appears 92,600 time on the Web currently, yet only 2-3 times in dictionaries. This word finds itself in a host of derivations, prelapsarian, sublapsarian, postlapsarian, supralapsarian, and infralapsarian, the Calvinist view that God's selection of only some for everlasting life was the consequence of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden.

In Play: This word would seem to be narrowly defined: "The lapsarians' beliefs are usually accompanied by some form of misogyny." However, we can all imagine how this word could be used figuratively for the belief that mankind is going to hell in a handbasket: "Harriet is a lapsarian who believes that the good old days will never return."

Word History: Today's Good word incorporates Latin lapsus "a slip, fall, error" + -arian "believer, advocate". Lapsus is generally claimed to be of unknown origin; of course, English borrowed the French version of this word for its lapse. There are several words phonologically similar, Latin labium "lip" and labor "to slide, slip, fall" which, as a noun means "work, labor". Connecting these two senses has proven difficult; simpler to say, "origin unknown." If it is related to labium, we know this word comes from Proto-Indo-European leb- "to lick; lip", which came to English as lip, German as Lippe, which French borrowed for its lippe "lower lip". Lips may be seen as loose and slippery. Is his connection enough? (Many thanks to our old friend, William Hupy, a Senior Lexiterian in the Alpha Agora, for stirring up today's almost topical Good Word.)

[Slava]

"Lips may be seen as loose and slippery." Words also fall trippingly off our tongues.

[LukeJavan8]

--and the ever famous: "loose lips sink ships".

[Philip Hudson]

Slava: A fellow Shakespearian quotes Hamlet's instructions. Thank you.

[Philip Hudson]

I am disappointed in the introduction and discussion of lapsarian as a Good Word. Although I am an amateur theologian, I was not familiar with it. It seems to be a Calvinistic word and I am not a Calvinist. But then I am not an Arminian either. Also, why the reference to misogyny? I see no relationship. I am a Baptist of the moderate stripe. I can have Christian fellowship with all those who believe that Jesus is the eternal son of God and his death and resurrection are the only remedy for the state of sin that all humans are born into. This is a necessary and sufficient statement of the faith. I respect everyone's right to opinion but, if you think otherwise about the Christian faith, there is no Christian fellowship between us. I do not insist that everyone be a Christian. We have free will. I respect your right to exercise it.

[Slava]

I believe the misogyny comes from blaming it all on Eve. If the fall was caused by a woman, all women going forward are bad. I agree that it probably isn't a necessary part of the definition, though. I just read several bits about lapsarianism on the internot, and it came up in only one dictionary.

On a humorous note, my spellcheck wanted to change lapsarianism to barbarianism. I taught it not to.

[bbeeton]

Slava, If your spell checker wanted to change "lapsarianism" to "barbarianism" (a term I'm sensitive to, as my given name is "Barbara-Ann", which my older sister always elided; I've since managed to ditch the "-Ann"), what did it suggest for "internot"? Now, *that*'s a term I can easily find a use for!

[Slava]

Internot is my own take on that thing we use that often will not show us what we are looking for, even when we use specific phrases. Or it is slow on a rainy day. Or some conglomerate has decided to disallow access (see Australia). Etc., so on, and so forth. It doesn't pass muster in the spellcheck, either, as it's not real, except in the minds of them what's like me.

[damoge]

Oh, Slava!
Was "internot" intentional?
May I use it?

[Philip Hudson]

Slava": You posted "I believe the misogyny comes from blaming it all on Eve." I think you are right. Misogyny is an ever-present evil. I had a Chemistry professor who, when confronted with some misdeed, was apt to pronounce, "Cherchez la femme," all in innocent fun. However he should have been more careful. We propagate the error to the hurt of all.

[Slava]

• Internot is very intentional.

• One suggestion spellcheck has is internment.

• Please feel free to use it, come one, come all.

• If it's all Eve's fault, doesn't that necessarily mean that Adam had no free will? He had no option other than to agree and go with the fall?