millennium

noun

mil·​len·​ni·​um mə-ˈle-nē-əm How to pronounce millennium (audio)
plural millennia mə-ˈle-nē-ə How to pronounce millennium (audio) 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 Purple was labor-intensive, but so widely produced that piles of shells discarded millenniums ago are now geographical features in the region. Franz Lidz, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 There, in the third millennium B.C.E., ancient Iberians constructed stone monuments, massive ditches, probable temples and graves. Bridget Alex, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024 The Emeryville Chevys opened on the cusp of the new millennium, in 1999, at 1890 Powell St. in what used to be a Charlie Brown’s steakhouse. John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 The idea for adding a day to the year to account for Earth's imperfect rotation around the Sun has been around for millennia. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 29 Feb. 2024 Boeing’s trajectory from here towers as one of the most significant business dramas of this millennium. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2024 Wang analyzes the connections between political theory and more concrete issues of governance over a millennium of Chinese history. Rana Mitter, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 Toohey says that the people that did use it probably remained somewhat nomadic for another half millennium or so. Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 Caesar overestimated the solar year by about 11 minutes, leading to an overcorrection by about eight days each millennium. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'millennium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of millennium was circa 1638

Dictionary Entries Near millennium

Cite this Entry

“Millennium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/millennium. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

millennium

noun
mil·​len·​ni·​um mə-ˈlen-ē-əm How to pronounce millennium (audio)
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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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