A millennium is a period of one thousand years, especially one which begins and ends with a year ending in '000', for example the period from the year 1000 to the year 2000.
[formal]
2. singular noun
Many people refer to the year 2000 as theMillennium.
...the eve of the Millennium.
...the cost of Millennium celebrations and festivals.
millennium in British English
(mɪˈlɛnɪəm)
nounWord forms: plural-nia (-nɪə) or -niums
1. the millennium
2.
a period or cycle of one thousand years
3.
a time of peace and happiness, esp in the distant future
4.
a thousandth anniversary
Word origin
C17: from New Latin, from Latin mille thousand + annus year; for form, compare quadrennium
millennium in American English
(mɪˈlɛniəm)
nounWord forms: pluralmilˈlenniums or milˈlennia (mɪˈlɛniə)
1.
any period of 1,000 years
2000 b.c. through 1001 b.c. is the 2d millennium b.c.
2.
a period of 1,000 years reckoned from a certain time, esp. from the beginning of the Christian Era ( a.d.1)
the year 2001 marks the beginning of the third millennium
3.
a 1,000th anniversary or its commemoration
4.
any period of great happiness, peace, prosperity, etc.; imagined golden age
Idioms:
the millennium
Derived forms
millennial (milˈlennial)
adjective
millennialism (milˈlennialˌism)
noun
millennialist (milˈlennialist)
noun
Word origin
ModL < L mille, thousand + annus, year (after L biennium): see annual
Examples of 'millennium' in a sentence
millennium
Men could be discerned by the huts, waiting in the darkness for the millennium.
Aldiss, Brian SOMEWHERE EAST OF LIFE (2002)
From these remote outposts, about a dozen species of Caribbean parrot saw in the third millennium.
Tony Juniper SPIX'S MACAW: THE RACE TO SAVE THE WORLD'S RAREST BIRD (2002)
Our millennium dinner has become SE London epicentre for all strays & waifs.
Bénédicte Newland and Pascale Smets AND GOD CREATED THE AU PAIR (2002)