Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Nine Years' War

Nine Years' War

9.1
A major European war from 1689 to 1697 between France and a group of other countries
  • noun
translation icon : Guerra de los Nueve Años
  • The Nine Years' War significantly altered the balance of power in Europe.

Examples

  • Historians often debate the causes and consequences of the Nine Years' War.

  • France suffered heavy losses during the Nine Years' War against the Grand Alliance.

  • The Nine Years' War was a significant conflict in European history.

  • Did you know that the Nine Years' War involved several major powers?

  • The Nine Years' War was a significant conflict that reshaped the political landscape of Europe in the late 17th century.

  • During the Nine Years' War, France and its allies sought to counterbalance the growing power of England and the Dutch Republic.

  • Many historians view the Nine Years' War as a precursor to the larger wars that dominated Europe in the 18th century.

Synonyms

War of the League of Augsburg
vsNine Years' War
9.9

A war from 1689 to 1697 in which many European countries fought against France led by King Louis XIV

is the same conflict but given a different formal name
War of the Grand Alliance
vsNine Years' War
9.9

A European war from 1689 to 1697 when France fought a group of other countries

is the same conflict but uses a narrower list of coalition members

Surface Forms

Nine Years' War singular
Nine Years Wars plural

Morphology

nine + Years' + war

The phrase is compositionally built from 'nine' (a number) + 'years' (a time duration) + 'war' (armed conflict), so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it names a war lasting nine years or a historical conflict described by its duration. This numeric-duration naming pattern (e.g., 'Thirty Years' War') is cross-linguistically common and therefore immediately comprehensible to B1 learners.

Etymology

Nine Years' War gets its name from the simple fact that the conflict lasted 'nine years'. It was a big European war from 1688 to 1697 when France fought a group of other countries, so the name now refers to that specific nine-year war.