renaissance
/ɹəˈneɪs(ə)ns/
renaissance means of, or relating to the Renaissance. It carries an Arena rating of 1723, earned across 57 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, renaissance ranks #292 of 42,785 for Qualifying, #761 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #823 of 17,135 for Most Malleable Words, #1,454 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words.
renaissance is pronounced /ɹəˈneɪs(ə)ns/.
Why “renaissance” is a great word
A period of vigorous revival and renewal in art, literature, and learning in Europe, spanning the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries, sparked by a rediscovery of classical antiquity. From the French *renaissance*, meaning 'rebirth', from *renaître* (to be born again), from Latin *renasci*, from *re-* (again) + *nasci* (to be born); used in English from the 1720s to mean 'rebirth', and specifically for the historical period from the 1840s. Unlike 'revival'—a broad restoration lacking its deep cultural particularity—or the later 'Enlightenment'—centered on reason rather than a classical model—the Renaissance denotes a profound reawakening of humanist spirit. It is the meticulous study of a Roman statue’s chiseled muscle, the precise perspective lines converging on a painted horizon, and the confident, human form at the center of a perfect celestial sphere. It is the historical moment when Europe decided to remember that it had forgotten something, and set about the painful, exhilarating work of being born into itself again.
Etymology
Borrowed from French renaissance.
adj
- Of, or relating to the Renaissance.
- Of, or relating to the style of art or architecture of the Renaissance.
name
- The 14th-century revival of classical art, architecture, literature and learning that originated in Italy and spread throughout Europe over the following two centuries.
- The period of this revival, typically lasting from the late 14th to the late 16th centuries; the transition from medieval to modern times.
noun
- A rebirth or revival.
- Any similar artistic or intellectual revival.e.g.“the Harlem Renaissance”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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