Skip to main content
lustrum

lustrum

1 9.9
A period of five years often used in Roman times
  • noun
  • /ˈlʌstrəm/
  • Archaic
translation icon : lustrum
  • Five years or half a decade is a lustrum.

Examples

  • Well, I've been doing that for ten lustrums.

  • The professor explained that a lustrum is equivalent to five years, particularly when discussing historical events.

  • Probably got another lustrum in me.

  • You have been in the service of this court for almost two lustrums.

  • In ancient Rome, each five-year period known as a lustrum was marked by significant societal changes.

  • Many people set long-term goals to be achieved every five years, often referring to each period as a lustrum.

How Long

millennium
124 5.3
century
1.0
decade
1.0
lustrum
  • Archaic
1 9.9
year
1.0
month
1.0

Surface Forms

lustrum singular
lustrums plural

Etymology

Lustrum also came to mean a period of 'five years' because that cleansing ceremony was done every five years, so people began to use the same word for the time between those ceremonies.