Zeit·geist (ts
t
gst
, zt-)
n.
The spirit of the time; the taste and outlook characteristic of a period or generation: “It’s easy to see how a student . . . in the 1940′s could imbibe such notions. The Zeitgeist encouraged Philosopher-Kings” James Atlas.
[German : Zeit, time (from Middle High German zt, from Old High German; see d
- in Indo-European roots) + Geist, spirit; see poltergeist.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Zeitgeist [tsite-guyst]
Noun
the spirit or general outlook of a specific time or period [German, literally: time spirit]
Collins Essential English Dictionary 2nd Edition 2006 © HarperCollins Publishers 2004, 2006
