[tsahyt-gahyst] 
| the spirit of the time; general trend of thought or feeling characteristic of a particular period of time. |
| Zeit·geist (tsīt'gīst', zīt'-) n. The spirit of the time; the taste and outlook characteristic of a period or generation: "It's easy to see how a student . . . in the 1940's could imbibe such notions. The Zeitgeist encouraged Philosopher-Kings" (James Atlas). [German : Zeit, time (from Middle High German zīt, from Old High German; see dā- in Indo-European roots) + Geist, spirit; see poltergeist.] |
The general moral, intellectual, and cultural climate of an era; Zeitgeist is German for “time-spirit.” For example, the Zeitgeist of England in the Victorian period included a belief in industrial progress, and the Zeitgeist of the 1980s in the United States was a belief in the power of money and the many ways in which to spend it.
Zeitgeist Zeit·geist (tsīt'gīst', zīt'-)
n.
The taste, outlook, and spirit characteristic of a period or generation.