trecento
Meaning
the 14th century, particularly with reference to italian art, literature, and culture of that period.
Structure
Usage
the trecento witnessed the literary genius of dante and the pioneering frescoes of giotto.
scholars often contrast the stylized forms of the trecento with the later naturalism of the quattrocento.
his research focuses on the development of perspective in trecento painting.
Etymology
The term 'trecento' is a direct loanword from Italian, where it functions as the standard word for the number "three hundred." In Italian historical and artistic discourse, it became a conventional shorthand for the 1300s—the fourteenth century. This follows the pattern of Italian century nomenclature, where 'duecento' signifies the 1200s and 'quattrocento' the 1400s. The term entered English as a specialized art-historical term to specifically denote the cultural and artistic achievements of fourteenth-century Italy, a period that laid crucial groundwork for the renaissance.
Analysis
tre is from italian, derived from latin 'trēs', meaning "three". cento is from italian, derived from latin 'centum', meaning "hundred". together, they form a compound number.