Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

Origin and history of A.D.

A.D.

1570s, an abbreviation of Latin anno Domini "year of the Lord." This system of counting years was put forth by Dionysius Exiguus in 527 or 533 C.E., but used at first only for Church business. Introduced in Italy in 7c., France (partially) in 8c. In England, first found in a charter of 680 C.E. Ordained for all ecclesiastical documents in England by the Council of Chelsea, July 27, 816.

The resistance to it might have come in part because Dionysius chose 754 A.U.C. as the birth year of Jesus, while many early Christians would have thought it was 750 A.U.C. (See John J. Bond, "Handy-Book of Rules and Tables for Verifying Dates With the Christian Era," 4th ed., London: George Bell & Sons, 1889.) There is a use of simple a for anno domini in an English document from c. 1400; A.C., for Anno Christi, also was common 17c.

also from 1570s

Entries linking to A.D.

Anno Domini

"in the year of the Christian era," 1570s, Latin, literally "in the year of (our) Lord," from ablative of annus "year" (see annual (adj.)) + Late Latin Domini, genitive of Dominus "the Lord" (see domain). Also see A.D.

C.E.

abbreviation of Common Era or Christian Era, a secular or non-Christian alternative to A.D., attested from 1838 in works on Jewish history. Companion B.C.E. is attested from 1881.

Dionysian(adj.)

c. 1600, of or pertaining to Dionysos (Latin Dionysus), Greek god of wine and revelry, identified with Roman Bacchus. His name is of unknown origin. In some cases a reference to historical men named Dionysius, such as the two tyrants of that name of Syracuse, both notorious for cruelty, or Dionysius Exiguus, 6th c. Scythian monk who invented the Anno Domini era (see A.D.). The reference is to him in Dionysian period, a measure of 532 Julian years, at the end of which the full moons recur on the same days of the year.