Anno Domini

Anno Domini (Latin: "In the Year of the Lord"), or more completely Anno Domini Nostri Iesu Christi ("In the Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ"), commonly abbreviated AD or A.D., is the designation used to number years in the dominant Christian Era in the world today. This is the conventional designation now used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It defines an epoch based on the traditionally reckoned year of the birth of Jesus. Years before the epoch were denoted a.C.n. (for Ante Christum Natum, Latin for "before the birth of Christ"), although BC (Before Christ) is now usually used in English. The Christian Era is the only system in everyday use in the Western World, and the main system for commercial and scientific use in the rest of the world. In academic, historical, and archaeological circles, particularly in the United States, the same epoch is sometimes referred to as the Common Era (CE) and the BC period as Before the Common Era (BCE).

Related Topics:
Latin - Julian - Gregorian calendar - Epoch - Jesus - Ante Christum Natum - English - Western World - United States - Common Era - Before the Common Era

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While it is increasingly common to place AD after a date, by analogy to the use of BC, formal English usage adheres to the traditional practice of placing the abbreviation before the year, as in Latin (e.g., 100 BC, but AD 100).

Related Topics:
100 BC - AD 100

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