Zeitgeist
/ˈtsaɪtɡaɪst/noun
The defining spirit, mood, or intellectual character of a particular period.
Did you know?The German word Geist means both “spirit” and “ghost,” giving Zeitgeist an eerie double sense: the invisible presence haunting or animating an entire era.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dʰeh₁-
“A reconstructed root meaning “to set, place, or put,” associated with the Germanic time-word family.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*tīdiz
“A period, season, or appointed time; the ancestor of German Zeit and English tide.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*gaistaz
“A spirit or supernatural being; the ancestor of German Geist and English ghost.”
Old High German
OHG
geist
“Spirit, ghost, or mind.”
Middle High German
MHG
zīt
“Time or season; the ancestor of modern German Zeit.”
18th Century
German
Zeitgeist
“Literally “spirit of the age,” used for the characteristic intellectual and cultural atmosphere of a historical period.”
Modern English
English
zeitgeist
“The prevailing spirit or mood of a particular time.”