das Jahrtausend
millennium
A period of one thousand years.
EXAMPLE
Die Erfindung des Buchdrucks war ein Meilenstein im zweiten Jahrtausend.
The invention of the printing press was a milestone in the second millennium.
das Jahrtausend
millennium
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Meanings
das Jahrtausend
millennium
Colloquial and exaggerated for a very long, indefinite period of time.
EXAMPLE
Es hat gefühlt ein Jahrtausend gedauert, bis der Bus endlich kam.
It felt like it took a millennium before the bus finally came.
Usage tips
Word composition
The word is a clear compound of 'das Jahr' (year) and 'tausend' (thousand). So it literally refers to a period of one thousand years.
EXAMPLE
Die alten Pyramiden sind mehrere Jahrtausende alt.
The ancient pyramids are several millennia old.
Structural pattern
'Jahrtausend' (millennium) follows a clear pattern for naming periods of time, which is also used in 'das Jahrzehnt' (decade, 10 years) and 'das Jahrhundert' (century, 100 years). This helps you learn the words as a system.
EXAMPLE
Innerhalb eines Jahrzehnts hat sich die Technologie rasant entwickelt.
Within a decade, technology developed rapidly.
Use with numbers
To name a specific millennium, you use an ordinal number. A very well-known fixed expression is 'die Jahrtausendwende' (the turn of the millennium) for the transition into the year 2000.
EXAMPLE
Viele wichtige philosophische Ideen entstanden im ersten Jahrtausend vor Christus.
Many important philosophical ideas emerged in the first millennium BC.
Context clue
The exaggerated, colloquial meaning is often recognizable from the context of personal impatience. Sometimes it is intensified by words like 'gefühlt' (felt, as in 'it felt like') to emphasize the subjective perception.
EXAMPLE
Ich warte schon ein gefühltes Jahrtausend auf eine Antwort von der Behörde.
I've been waiting what feels like a millennium for an answer from the authorities.
In real life
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