anno Domini
/ˈænoʊ ˈdɒmɪnaɪ/
adverbial phrase
Origin
Latin
annus Domini — year of the Lord
Overview
Meaning Now
- Used to indicate that a specific year is counted from the traditional birth year of Jesus Christ.
Literal older meaning
in the year of the Lord
Language path
Latin → Late Latin → English
Earliest form
anno Domini
Earliest period
6th century
Journey
The system was developed by Dionysius Exiguus in 525 AD to replace the Diocletian era (which he refused to continue due to his distaste for the persecutor of Christians) and was later popularized by the Venerable Bede in the 8th century.
Evolution
- 6th century
anno Domini
“in the year of the Lord”
First popularized by the monk Dionysius Exiguus.
- 8th century
anno Domini
“standard chronological marker”
Adopted by the Venerable Bede in his Ecclesiastical History.
- Modern English
anno Domini
“A.D. or AD”
Frequently used as a prefix or suffix to indicate historical dates.
Connections
Word parts
anno
root
in the year (ablative case of annus)
Domini
root
of the Lord (genitive case of Dominus)
Related across languages
Italian
in the year of the Lord
Explore next
Related to anno Domini
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.