millennium

[ mi-len-ee-uhm ]
See synonyms for: millenniummillennia on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural mil·len·ni·ums, mil·len·ni·a [mi-len-ee-uh]. /mɪˈlɛn i ə/.
  1. a period of 1,000 years: This great stone monument has seen it all—hardship, plenty, and everything in between—over a millennium and a half.

  2. the year 2000, or the turn of the 21st century:In 1995, approaching the millennium, the city covered nearly 67,000 acres and had a population of over 1 million.

  1. the millennium, Christianity. the period of 1,000 years during which Christ will reign on earth, as an interpretation of a vision set forth by the apostle John in the book of Revelation.: Also the Millennium .

  2. a period of general righteousness and happiness, especially in the indefinite future.

  3. a thousandth anniversary.

Origin of millennium

1
First recorded in 1630–40; from New Latin, equivalent to Latin mill(e) “a thousand” + -ennium, extracted from biennium, triennium, etc.

Words Nearby millennium

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use millennium in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for millennium

millennium

/ (mɪˈlɛnɪəm) /


nounplural -nia (-nɪə) or -niums
  1. the millennium Christianity the period of a thousand years of Christ's awaited reign upon earth

  2. a period or cycle of one thousand years

  1. a time of peace and happiness, esp in the distant future

  2. a thousandth anniversary

Origin of millennium

1
C17: from New Latin, from Latin mille thousand + annus year; for form, compare quadrennium

Derived forms of millennium

  • millennial, adjective
  • millennialist, noun
  • millennially, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for millennium

millennium

A period of a thousand years foretold in the Book of Revelation. During the millennium, those who have been faithful to Jesus and who have not worshiped the Antichrist will reign with Jesus over the Earth. According to the Book of Revelation, the millennium will precede the final battle for control of the universe; Judgment Day will come afterward.

Notes for millennium

The meaning of the Bible's (see also Bible) words about the millennium has been much debated by Christians (see also Christian). Prophecies about the millennium are part of the basic doctrine of several denominations, including Jehovah's Witnesses.

Notes for millennium

Figuratively, a “millennium” is a period of great justice and happiness on Earth.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.