VocabuoDictionaryGet the app
noun

il secolo

century

Periodo di cento anni che serve a misurare il tempo nella storia.

Definition & meaning

A secolo is a period of one hundred years, commonly referred to in English as a "century."

Beyond the strict measurement of time, the word can also have the following meanings:

  1. The world or secular life: In religious or philosophical contexts, it refers to earthly life as opposed to the eternal or spiritual afterlife.
  2. An era or age: It can refer to a long, indefinite period of time characterized by specific historical, cultural, or social features (e.g., "il secolo dei lumi" for the Age of Enlightenment).

Grammar & Word origin

  • Grammar: Masculine noun. Its plural form is secoli.
  • Origin: It derives from the Latin word saeculum, which originally meant "a generation" or "the span of a human life," and later evolved to mean a century or the world in a secular sense.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms:

  • Centennio : A period of 100 years.
  • Era : An era or distinct period of time.
  • Epoca : A historical period.
  • Mondo : Used when referring to the "secular world."

Antonyms:

  • Eternità : Eternity, signifying an infinite duration of time, which contrasts with the fixed 100-year span of a secolo.

Make “secolo” part of your vocabulary.

Build your Italian vocabulary with flashcards, audio and spaced repetition.

Get Vocabuo on the App StoreGet Vocabuo for Android

Examples

Il castello è stato costruito nel diciannovesimo secolo.noun

The castle was built in the nineteenth century.

Molti cambiamenti sociali sono avvenuti nel ventesimo secolo.noun

Many social changes occurred in the twentieth century.

Keep exploring Italian

Learn words from the content you love.

Add words from websites, books and videos, then remember them with spaced repetition (SRS).

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play