100 important words: antebellum

antebellum
Means: Belonging to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War.
Review: Good for historians, and for people who want to come across smarter than you. Vaguely nationalistic word: why is it specifically "ante" this "bellum"?
First Google link is to dictionary: No, to a Wikipedia entry. In fact, there are no dictionary entries anywhere on page 1.
Example: In the antebellum, George W. Bush was still moderately popular, but since he invaded Iraq, his polls have plummeted.
Hits for media sites:

Site	Hits
Washington Post	297
New York Times	299
USA Today	91
Fox News	11