Y2K

American  

[wahy-too-key] / ˈwaɪˌtuˈkeɪ /

abbreviation

1. the year 2000.

2. Also called Y2K bug.  Also called millennium bug.  Also called Y2K problem,.  a bug that could cause computers or software to misinterpret a year after 1999 as having the first two digits 19 instead of 20, due to the coding of dates using only the last two digits of the four-digit year.

---

adjective

1. relating to or characteristic of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

   The outfit merges Y2K aesthetics with contemporary trends.

Y2K British  

noun

1. another name for the year 2000 _ad (esp referring to the millennium bug)

---

Etymology

Origin of Y2K

First recorded in 1995–2000; Y(ear) + 2 + K symbol for the number 1000

Example Sentences

However, “businesses owning 10% of total equities, similar to the Y2K’s top, would highlight a major ‘red flag,’” he says.

From MarketWatch

“Shakespeare in Love” is nothing if not a product of its Y2K era.

From Los Angeles Times

Young people thrifting clothes as they embrace their Y2K or cottagecore aesthetics have helped secondhand shopping shed its stigma, turning it into a trend, not a necessity.

From MarketWatch

When the three of them walked out of Pottery Barn, Michael continued, “I mean it. We’ve already got Y2K to worry about, and now this.”

From Literature

It’s possible that these younger colleagues are embracing Y2K style to pay homage and poke fun at the same time, writes Callum Borchers.

From The Wall Street Journal