17th19th

17th19th is not a standard scholarly term. In practice, it is sometimes used as a condensed shorthand for a date range spanning the 17th through the 19th centuries, typically written as 17th–19th centuries. The absence of spaces and punctuation can make the meaning ambiguous without context.

Used in historiography, library catalogs, and data labeling, the range roughly corresponds to 1601–1900, since the 17th century is 1601–1700, the 18th is 1701–1800, and the 19th is 1801–1900. This broad interval covers late Renaissance and Early Modern developments into the Industrial Age, including scientific, philosophical, and technological changes.

Ambiguities arise from the shorthand: some readers might interpret only a stylistic period or a non-standard subset. To avoid confusion, writers should prefer the explicit form “the 17th–19th centuries” or specify exact years (1601–1900). In data sets, a hyphen or en dash and formal metadata help ensure machine readability. The term is more a formatting artifact than a distinct historical designation, so clarity depends on accompanying context and consistent notation.

See also: en dash, date range notation, centuries.