also antebellum, from Latin phrase ante bellum, literally "before the war;" see ante- + bellicose. In U.S., usually in reference to the American Civil War (1861-65); attested in that specific sense by 1862 (it appears in a June 14 entry in Mary Chesnut's diary).
Antares
ante-
ante
ante meridiem
ant-eater
ante-bellum
antecede
antecedence
antecedent
antecessor
antechamber