Able2Define the German word 'ZEITGEIST'?

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Ladies and Gentlemen :wink: ,

in the last few years I came comparatively often across the word 'ZEITGEIST' used in - rather intellectual - English newspaper articles or academic essays.

As I am German, and as I know that most Germans know what to understand by this term, however, do hard when asked to define it, I would like to ask you:

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE 'ZEITGEIST' (something like 'spirit of the time(s) --> literally translated)???

HAVE YOU EVER BECOME WITNESS OF SOMEONE USING THIS TERM? IF SO, IN WHAT CONNEXION?

HAVE YOU EVER WITNESSED SOMEONE WHO WAS SPEAKING ENGLISH AND PRONOUNCING IT RIGHT???? :wink: (it may be pronounced: 'CYTEGYSTE', sorry I can't enter any phonetics here!)

Thanks in advance for some creative 'input'! Idea

Best Regards,
Rainer
aka
51Days

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"Time capsule-ish"

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from merriam-webster...

zeit·geist | Pronunciation: 'tsIt-"gIst, 'zIt | Function: noun | Etymology: German, from Zeit (time) + Geist (spirit) | Date: 1884
Meaning: the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era

The only place I've ever seen the word used is in google's monthly 'Google Zeitgeist ' page where they show recent search patterns & trends.. www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html

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Spirit of the times is about how I would define it.

I tried to think of how I would use it in a sentence, decided to do a search to see if I HAVE used it in a sentence here (love that search function), came up with this:

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=137398#137398

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My freshman year in college, I heard the term " zeitgeist" and learned that it meant "spirit of the age".

Since then I've heard Reputable Historians speak and write of "zeitgeist" and Articulate Adults speak and write of "zeitgeist" and bullying World Authorities orate on "zeitgeist".

The term is also used extensively by Philosophy Majors, both full grown types and those twerps who are still wet behind the ears.

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Able2Define the German word 'ZEITGEIST'?

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