Definition

1. Noun:
   • A period of ten consecutive years, specifically the years from 1880 through 1889. It refers to the fourth decade of the 19th century's final quarter.

Usage

• The word '1880s' is a plural noun used to discuss historical, cultural, or social trends, events, or characteristics that defined that specific ten-year period.
• It is typically preceded by the definite article 'the' (e.g., , ).

Examples

• Noun:
  • Electric lighting began to be installed in major cities during the 1880s.
  • Fashion in the 1880s was characterized by bustles and tailored jackets for women.
  • Many technological innovations of the 1880s paved the way for modern life.

Advanced Usage

• Possessive Form: The decade can be used in the possessive form to attribute a characteristic to it.
  • The 1880s' most significant invention was arguably the practical incandescent light bulb.

Variants and Related Words

• Eighties: A common written and spoken shorthand for the 1880s, often capitalized (the Eighties). Context usually clarifies which century is meant.
  • He is an expert on the literature of the Eighties (1880s).
• 1880 (noun): Specifically the year eighteen eighty.
• Nineteenth century (noun): The broader period (1801-1900) which contains the 1880s.

Synonyms

• The eighth decade of the nineteenth century: A more formal, descriptive synonym.
• The last two decades of the nineteenth century: A less precise term that includes the 1880s and 1890s.

Related Phrases

• Fin de siècle: A French phrase meaning "end of the century," often used to describe the cultural mood of the 1880s and 1890s.
  • The fin de siècle anxiety is evident in art from the 1880s onward.

Noun

1. the decade from 1880 to 1889