era
EER-uh
/ˈɪərə/
A long and distinct period of history with a particular feature or characteristic.
Usually defined by a specific person, event, or cultural mood (e.g., the Victorian Era).
The story behind the word. Surprisingly, 'era' comes from the Latin 'aera', the plural of 'aes' (brass or copper). It originally referred to the counters or brass coins used in calculations, which eventually came to mean the items in a calculation or the date from which time is measured.
Word relationships
- age: Age is often used for broader periods like the 'Bronze Age', while era is often more political or cultural.
- moment: A moment is a point in time; an era is a vast span.
Commonly confused with
- epoch: An era is a long period; an epoch is often the specific point in time that starts that period, though they are often used interchangeably.
Collocations
- bygone era
- new era
- golden era
Idioms & expressions
- end of an era
Example sentences
- "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... it was the era of belief, it was the era of incredulity." Literature
- "The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the end of the Cold War era." Modern History
Memory hook
An Era is an 'Area' of time. Era = Big Area of Time.
When not to use
Don't use for very short periods like a week or a month.
Fun facts
- In baseball, ERA stands for Earned Run Average, a completely different use of the word!
Related words
Also appears in
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