Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Noting a large bog or lake in Egypt, lying between the Delta and the Isthmus of Suez. It was surrounded by hills of loose sand, which, being blown into it, afforded a treacherous footing, whole armies attempting to cross it having been swallowed up. Hence the phrase Serbonian bog has passed into a proverb, signifying a difficult or complicated situation from which it is almost impossible to extricate one's self; a distracting condition of affairs.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Relating to the lake of Serbonis in Egypt, which by reason of the sand blowing into it had a deceptive appearance of being solid land, but was a bog.
Examples
“And there, whether it be in the light that beats on God's great throne, or in the serbonian darkness of a hell more horrible than that pictured by Dante -- is the true Heaven.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘serbonian’.
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More Adjectival Arcana
List of adjectives such as everduring that do not frequent common speech and writing. A continuation of my list Adjectival Arcana, which had grown to over 7700 words and had become far too cumbersome.
transpontine, fetichistic, everduring, tachygraphic, tachygraphical, holographic, holographical, spectrobolographic, autographic, chirographal, autographal, ipsographic and 1419 more...
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theastic's Words
cellar, stalemate, wrought, opal, tyrant, squelch, squab, linen, tartan, paisley, scope, siren and 395 more...
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19 c.
some of the interesting words i've had to look up while reading 19th century lit
maugre, connate, alembic, azote, vaticination, valetudinarian, dight, scutcheon, lammergeyer, chamois, asseverate, prebendary and 199 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for serbonian.
jaime_d from Carlyle's "Sartor Resartus" Jan 11, 2009