quincentennial
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of quincentennial
First recorded in 1880–85; quin(que-) + centennial
Explanation
A quincentennial is a 500th anniversary or a celebration of it. The word can also be used to describe anything relating to a 500th anniversary, such as a quincentennial parade or collectible coin. Quin- comes from the Latin quinque, meaning "five." Centennial comes from the Latin cent, meaning "one hundred." And the English suffix ennial means "some amount of years." So put together, quincentennial means "a period of five hundred years." It's most often used for anniversaries, like the founding of a country, for example. (The United States of America won't have its quincentennial until 2276!) Another term for this concept is quincentenary.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Both have also tackled, in distinct ways, myriad issues around Indigeneity — countering, for instance, the celebratory approach taken by many institutions toward the 1992 quincentennial of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2023
She’s also organized over 30 exhibitions, including important group shows of contemporary Native American photographers and women artists, and two exhibitions that rebutted the 1992 quincentennial celebrations of Columbus’s arrival in the Americas.
From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2023
News of the award reached Menchu in San Marcos, where she had been coordinating opposition to the quincentennial celebration.
From Time Magazine Archive
The Columbus quincentennial deserves some credit for focusing this energy and attention.
From Time Magazine Archive
In honor of its quincentennial, Oxford has mounted a traveling exhibit of some 250 artifacts and illustrious works from the five centuries.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
