lépoque

L'époque, written with an apostrophe in standard French, is the term normally used to denote a particular period or era distinguished by characteristic features, events, or cultural expressions. The compound form lépoque without the apostrophe is not standard in French and is typically found only in stylized titles or errors. In usage, l’époque can refer to historical periods identified by scholars as well as to culturally defined moments within a longer history.

Etymology and linguistic sense: époque comes from Greek epokhē, via Latin epōcha, and entered French through medieval and early modern usage. The word is closely related to the English “epoch” and is used across history, art history, archaeology, and cultural studies to mark units of time that are meaningful in their own right.

Usage and distinctions: in French, à l’époque de means “at the time of.” The term é poque conveys a sense of distinctiveness or turning points within a larger timeline, and it is often preferred when the focus is on a period’s particular mood, innovations, or social conditions. It is common to differentiate é poque from âge or ère; an é poque can be shorter or more thematically defined, while une ère may imply a broader or more definitive phase.

Cultural and scholarly examples: La Belle Époque (roughly 1871 to 1914) is a well-known labeled epoch emphasizing cultural flourishing and optimism in parts of Europe. The phrase appears in historical writing, museums, and popular discourse to evoke a specific, recognizable period. The term also appears in phrases such as é poque médiévale or é poque romane to describe stylistic or chronological phases in architecture and art.

See also: historical period, era, La Belle Époque.