French Conversation · Level 25
90 words
French word
siècle
Pronunciation
IPA/sjɛkl/
Meaning
- masculine nouncentury
Example
Ce bâtiment date du siècle dernier.
This building dates from the last century.
More examples
Au XXIe siècle, la technologie évolue vite.
In the 21st century, technology is evolving quickly.
Core concept
A labeled block on a historical timeline that gathers events into a hundred-year span.
Common phrases
au siècle dernier
in the previous century
au XXIe siècle
in the 21st century
Similar words
époque: A historical age defined by shared cultural or historical features.
période: A fixed span of time marked by events before and after it.
ère: A long historical age marked by major social or natural changes.
Definition in French
Un siècle désigne une période de cent ans utilisée pour situer des événements ou des périodes historiques.
Word origin
French siècle comes from Latin saeculum, meaning an age or generation, through Old French siecle.
Usage tips
- Siècle is masculine, so standard forms include un siècle, ce siècle, and au siècle dernier.
Other meanings
- eranoun