millennium
mi-LEN-ee-um
/mɪˈlɛniəm/
A period of a thousand years.
Can also refer to a future period of great happiness and prosperity (in religious contexts).
The story behind the word. Formed in the 17th century from Latin 'mille' (thousand) and 'annus' (year), modeled on 'biennium' or 'triennium'.
Commonly confused with
- millenary: Millenary refers to the group of 1000 things; millennium refers specifically to the 1000 years.
Word family
- millennial (adjective): denoting or relating to a period of a thousand years.
Collocations
- turn of the millennium
- new millennium
- third millennium
Example sentences
- "The Roman Empire lasted for more than a millennium if you count its eastern half." History
- "And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years... this is the millennium." Religious Literature
Memory hook
A 'Millipede' has (supposedly) 1000 legs. A 'Millennium' has 1000 years. Mille = 1000.
When not to use
Don't confuse with 'centenary' (100 years).
Fun facts
- There was a massive global debate about whether the new millennium started in 2000 or 2001 (technically, it was 2001).
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