fifteenth-century
UK[ˌfɪfˈtiːnθ ˈsen.tʃər.i]US[ˌfɪfˈtiːnθ ˈsen.tʃər.i]
adj
from or relating to the period of years from 1400 to 1499 in the common era.
Morpheme Breakdown
fifteenth
century
fifteenth
century
Etymology
the term is a modern english compound adjective formed by combining the ordinal number "fifteenth" with the noun "century." "Fifteenth" originates from old english, a germanic construction meaning "five plus ten," which evolved through middle english to specify position in a sequence. "Century" entered english via old french from latin 'centuria', a military and administrative unit of one hundred, later generalized to mean a span of one hundred years. when combined, the literal morphemes create a precise chronological label, "fifteenth hundred-year period," which by convention refers to the years 1401–1500, showcasing english's analytical method for forming precise historical descriptors from numerical and temporal roots.
Analysis
Structure: fifteenth + century
fifteenth: from old english 'fīfta' (fifth) + 'tēoða' (tenth), via middle english 'fifteenthe'. a compound ordinal number.
century: from latin 'centuria', meaning a group of one hundred, from 'centum' (hundred). in english, it denotes a period of one hundred years.
Examples
the museum has a remarkable collection of fifteenth-century tapestries.
this architectural style was predominant in fifteenth-century italy.
the manuscript is a fifteenth-century copy of an older text.