Meiji

[mey-jee]

noun Japanese History.

the designation of the period of the reign of Emperor Mutsuhito from 1868 to 1912.

Origin of Meiji

1870–75; < Japanese meiji, earlier meidi enlightened peace < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese míng bright + zhì pacify

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for meiji

Contemporary Examples of meiji

One was a 19-year-old student at Meiji University and the other a 28-year old man in Fukuoka Prefecture.
‘I Will Commit a Massacre’
Jake Adelstein, Nathalie-Kyoko Stucky
February 25, 2013

Historical Examples of meiji

In Japan the present year is the 42nd of Meiji, that is, the 42nd of the present Emperor's reign.
Time and Its Measurement
James Arthur
The 11th of February in the 22d year of Meiji saw the promulgation of the imperial Constitution.
Japan
Various
The next letter is dated June 27th, '92, 25th year of Meiji.
Lafcadio Hearn
Nina H. Kennard
The restoration of the Meiji had ended the age of feudalism, at least on the surface.
A history of China., [3d ed. rev. and enl.]
Wolfram Eberhard
Nearly all the prominent philosophers of the Meiji era may be classed under some branch of German idealism.
Japan and the California Problem
Toyokichi Iyenaga

British Dictionary definitions for meiji

Meiji

noun

Japanese history the reign of Emperor Mutsuhito (1867–1912), during which Japan began a rapid process of Westernization, industrialization, and expansion in foreign affairs
the throne name of Mutsuhito (ˌmuːtsʊˈhiːtəʊ). 1852–1912, emperor of Japan (1867–1912)

Word Origin for Meiji

Japanese, from Chinese ming enlightened + dji government

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

Word Origin and History for meiji

Meiji

"period of rule of emperor Mutsuhito" (1868-1912), which was marked by modernization and Westernization, 1873, from Japanese, literally "enlightened government."