quincentenary

[ kwin-sen-ten-uh-ree, kwin-sen-tn-er-ee; especially British kwin-sen-tee-nuh-ree ]

noun

, plural quin·cen·ten·ar·ies.

1. a 500th anniversary or its celebration.

adjective

1. pertaining to or marking a period of 500 years; quincentennial.

quincentenary

/ ˌkwɪnsɛnˈtiːnərɪ; ˌkwɪnsɛnˈtɛnɪəl /

noun

1. a 500th anniversary or the year or celebration marking it

Derived Forms

• quincentennial, adjectivenoun

Word History and Origins

Origin of quincentenary¹

quin(que-) + centenary

Word History and Origins

Origin of quincentenary¹

C19: irregularly from Latin quinque five + centenary

Example Sentences

If you fancy finding out more about Leonardo, why not visit one of the many exhibitions that are running in this quincentenary year?

From The Guardian

The papal visit kicks off a year of events to mark the quincentenary.

From BBC

Spain and Portugal decided to go all out, and the Reagan administration got in the act of supporting it, to make the quincentenary a great celebration, and they put huge amounts of money into it.

From Time

And with the quincentenary of Thomas More’s Utopia falling this year, the parlour game is again being dusted off.

From The Guardian

The full power of his genius was only revealed to the world when, at the quincentenary celebration of his birth, the greater part of his life-work was brought together in Florence.

From Project Gutenberg