millennium

noun

mil·​len·​ni·​um mə-ˈle-nē-əm 

plural millennia mə-ˈle-nē-ə  or millenniums

1

a

: the thousand years mentioned in Revelation (see revelation sense 3) 20 during which holiness is to prevail and Christ is to reign on earth

b

: a period of great happiness or human perfection

2

a

: a period of 1000 years

especially : one reckoned from the beginning of the Christian era

at the start of the third millennium

b

: a 1000th anniversary or its celebration

In 2015 the city of Leipzig, Germany, celebrated its millennium.

Did you know?

Since in Latin mille means "thousand", a millennium lasts 1,000 years. Thus, we're living today at the beginning of the third millennium since the birth of Christ. But some religious sects, relying on a prophecy in the biblical Book of Revelation, speak of a coming millennium when Jesus will return to reign on earth for 1,000 years, evil will be banished, and all will live in peace and happiness. Members of these sects who keep themselves in a constant state of preparedness are called millenarians or millennialists.

Examples of millennium in a Sentence

The book describes the changes that have occurred in the landscape over many millennia.

The year 2000 was celebrated as the beginning of the third millennium.

Recent Examples on the Web

Fast-forward to the new millennium, Rolex released a Milgauss (ref. 116400) in 2007, then nixed it in 2023. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2024

Surprisingly, there’s no written record of it until 1466, though science points to its domestication around the beginning of the first millennium. —Benjamin Kemper, Saveur, 17 Apr. 2024

The new millennium also got off to a sparkly start, as stars including Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Shakira enhanced their natural shine with roll-on body glitter, among other highly reflective cosmetics. —Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024

Two and a half millennia later, in 2016, astronomers used these same ancient records to measure the change in the rate at which Earth’s rotation is slowing—which is to say, the amount by which are days are lengthening, over thousands of years. —Rebecca Boyle, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024

The divide has drawn comparisons to the Great Schism, which a millennium ago separated the Orthodox East and the Catholic West. —Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024

Given that the chapel has stood for half a millennium — the product of a 70-year construction project under four kings: Henry VI, VII and VIII, plus Richard III — the furor over the solar panels will end up being at most a transitory distraction. —Mark Landler, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024

Malta has temples that date back a half millennium older than Stonehenge. —Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024

Half a millennium ago, in what is now Peru, the indigenous Uros people used thatches of reeds to build floating islets in Lake Titicaca, likely as a safe haven from Incan encroachment. —Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin mille thousand + New Latin -ennium (as in biennium)

First Known Use

circa 1638, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing millennium

• the millennium

Kids Definition

millennium

noun

mil·​len·​ni·​um mə-ˈlen-ē-əm 

plural millennia

-ē-ə

or millenniums

1

a

: a period of 1000 years

b

: a 1000th anniversary or its celebration

2

: a period of great happiness

millennial

-ē-əl

adjective