Era
ˈɪərə
Definitions
2 meaningsA period of time characterized by a particular quality or event.
ˈɪərə
A long and distinct period of history, with a particular feature or characteristic.
The Renaissance was a pivotal era in European history.
💡 Simply: Imagine a super long chapter in a history book. That's an era! Like the 'time of dinosaurs' or 'when everyone used typewriters'.
👶 For kids: A long, long time in the past or future when things were or will be a certain way.
More Examples
The space era began with the launch of Sputnik.
The Cold War era was marked by tension between the US and the Soviet Union.
She is known as an actress from the golden era of Hollywood.
How It's Used
"The Victorian era was known for its strict social norms."
"The Jurassic era saw the rise of dinosaurs."
"We are living in the digital era."
A system of counting years from a particular point in time.
ˈɪərə
A particular point in time from which events are reckoned.
The Common Era (CE) is used to denote years after the traditional birth of Jesus.
💡 Simply: It's like saying 'we start counting the years from here.' For example, the 'Common Era' starts when Jesus was born.
👶 For kids: A way to count how many years it has been since a special day.
More Examples
BCE stands for Before the Common Era.
The current era is marked by rapid technological advancements.
The modern era has changed with technological innovations.
How It's Used
"The Common Era (CE) is the widely used system for dating years."
From Latin *aera* meaning 'fixed date, epoch, or starting point', ultimately from Ancient Greek *aera* meaning 'number, calculation'.
The word 'era' has been used to refer to distinct periods of time since the 17th century, but its roots are much older.
Memory tip
Think of 'era' as a segment of history, like the 'ice age era' or the 'space era'.
Word Origin
"a fixed date, epoch"