Definition

Noun: - A 400th anniversary or its celebration: A "quatercentennial" is the date that marks exactly 400 years after a significant event, or the festivities held to commemorate that 400-year milestone.

Usage

• This word is used to denote a specific historical or institutional milestone. It is a formal term, most commonly found in historical, academic, or official commemorative contexts.
• It typically refers to the anniversary of an event like a city's founding, a university's establishment, or a nation's historical moment.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The university is planning a grand series of events for its quatercentennial next year.
  • The town's quatercentennial celebration included a historical parade and the opening of a new museum.

Advanced Usage

• "Quatercentennial jubilee": A grand festival or celebration for a 400th anniversary.
  • The nation observed the quatercentennial jubilee of its independence with great pomp.
• "Quatercentennial marker": A monument or plaque erected to commemorate a 400th anniversary.
  • They unveiled a quatercentennial marker at the site of the original settlement.

Variants and Related Words

• Quatercentenary: A synonym with identical meaning. It is equally formal and used interchangeably with "quatercentennial."
  • The quatercentenary of the playwright's birth was celebrated worldwide.
• Centennial (n): A 100th anniversary.
• Sesquicentennial (n): A 150th anniversary.
• Bicentennial (n): A 200th anniversary.
• Tercentennial/Tricentennial (n): A 300th anniversary.

Synonyms

• Four-hundredth anniversary: The literal descriptive phrase.
• Quatercentenary: The direct synonym.

Notes

• This is a specialized, low-frequency word. In more common or informal language, the descriptive phrase "400th anniversary" is often preferred.
• The prefix "quater-" comes from Latin, meaning "four times" (related to "quarter"), combined with "centennial" (from Latin , meaning "hundred").

Noun

1. the 400th anniversary (or the celebration of it)