The etymological origin of the term flood that concerns us now is found in Latin. Specifically, it derives from the noun “diluvium”, which can be translated as “overflow” or “flood”. In turn, that word comes from the verb “diluviare”, which is synonymous with “flood”.
The first meaning mentioned by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to the flood that is caused by very abundant rainfall.
The most common use of the concept , however, refers specifically to heavy rain . For example: “Don't go out in this flood! Better wait for it to stop” , “The final of the tournament was played under a flood” , “The flood caused a stream to overflow and several streets to flood” .
The universal flood is called a supposed phenomenon that, in ancient times, consisted of the flooding of a large part of the planet by an unprecedented fall of water. This mythical story appears in multiple cultures and religions , including Catholicism.
The Bible , in this framework, presents the universal flood as a punishment decided by God for the evil of human beings. God , according to this belief, intended to eliminate living beings with the flood, but instructed Noah to build an ark for himself, his family, and a pair (male and female) of each animal. Those who survived on Noah's Ark were therefore able to repopulate the Earth once the flood ended.
Within the cultural sphere, the word in question has also been used on numerous occasions. A good example of this is the song “Flood in my eyes,” which is performed by Maka and Haze. It tells how one misses one's deceased mother, one who misses her kisses, her hugs, and her presence.
In the literary field, on the other hand, we also find numerous books that have the word in question in their titles. This would be the case, for example, of the novel “The Deluge”, written by the author JMG Le Clézio, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2008. It takes as its protagonist François Besson, a man who will spend thirteen agonizing days thinking that his death is near.
Likewise, in the world of cinema we come across the Polish film “The Deluge”, which was released in 1974 and is directed by Jerzy Hoffman. It is a historical drama that sets the stage for the Swedish invasion in the 17th century of the area of Poland known as The Deluge. It stars actors such as Daniel Olbrychski and Tadeusz Tomnicki, who lead the cast.
The idea of a flood is also used symbolically with respect to the abundance or excess of something : “The player withdrew from the playing field in the face of a flood of insults from the public,” “In the 21st century, the flood of titles arrived: the team “He won eight championships in nine years,” “The singer received a flood of praise when he announced that he will donate the proceeds from his last concert of the year to a charity.”