sixteenth-century

UK: ˌsɪksˈtiːnθ ˈsɛn.tʃə.ri | US: ˌsɪksˈtiːnθ ˈsɛn.tʃə.ri

Definition

  1. adj. relating to the period between 1501 and 1600

  2. n. the 16th century as a historical era

Structure
sixteenth <ordinal number, 16th>century <period of 100 years>
Etymology

The word combines "sixteenth," derived from Old English "sixtēoþa" (six + -teoþa, a suffix forming ordinals), and "century," from Latin "centuria" (a group of 100, later a 100-year period). The hyphenated form emerged in English to specifically denote the 1500s, reflecting the convention of labeling historical eras by their ordinal century.

Examples

  1. Shakespeare was a prominent playwright of the sixteenth-century.

  2. Sixteenth-century Europe witnessed the Protestant Reformation.

  3. This museum specializes in sixteenth-century art.

  4. The invention of the printing press revolutionized sixteenth-century communication.

  5. Sixteenth-century fashion featured elaborate ruffs and doublets.