Zeitgeist
ˈtsaɪtɡaɪst
noun
the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time
Zeitgeist is a German word that literally means 'time spirit.' It refers to the cultural, intellectual, and emotional climate of a certain time period, often capturing the prevailing attitudes and beliefs of society at that time.
See how Friedrich Nietzsche uses "zeitgeist", with its meaning, pronunciation and a real book example.
Examples from books
It was precisely owing to moral philosophers’ knowing the moral facts imperfectly, in an arbitrary epitome, or an accidental abridgement—perhaps as the morality of their environment, their position, their church, their Zeitgeist, their climate and zone—it was precisely because they were badly instructed with regard to nations, eras, and past ages, and were by no means eager to know about these matters, that they did not even come in sight of the real problems of morals—problems which only disclose themselves by a comparison of many kinds of morality.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Beyond Good and Evil
