århundrer

århundrer is a plural noun in several Scandinavian languages referring to centuries, i.e., periods of about 100 years. The term is used in history and chronology to discuss long-term developments, cultural eras, and groups of years that share notable features.

Counting and boundaries: In the widely used proleptic Gregorian calendar, a century is the years 1–100 for the 1st century, 101–200 for the 2nd century, and so on. The 20th century is often defined in scholarly contexts as 1901–2000, while casual usage sometimes treats it as 1900–1999. For years before the Common Era (BCE), centuries run backward (the 1st century BCE comprises 100–1 BCE). Centuries are designated with ordinal numbers (the eighteenth century, the twenty-first century, etc.) and are typically named after the approximate time they cover, rather than exact dates.

Usage and significance: Centuries serve as convenient units for organizing historical narrative, comparative analysis, and cultural periods. They help historians group political regimes, technological changes, social structures, and artistic movements into manageable timeframes. The concept is also used in popular discourse to evoke broad trends, regimes, or atmospheres characteristic of a given era.

Calendrical considerations: Century boundaries can be affected by calendar reforms, such as the transition from Julian to Gregorian calendars, which shifted dates near century turns. While the concept remains a practical shorthand, precise dating often requires specifying the calendar system and the exact years involved.

See also: calendar, chronology, Gregorian calendar, historiography.