世紀末

• 読み: せいきまつ
• ローマ字: seikimatsu
• 漢字の分解: 世 (sei/yo) — world, generation; 紀 (ki) — era, century; 末 (matsu/sue) — end, tip
• 発音: /seː.ki.ma.tsɯ/

意味

End of a century; fin de siècle. Used both literally for the close of a century and figuratively for a mood of decadence, pessimism, or cultural exhaustion.

A noun with both literal and cultural-aesthetic uses. Literally it denotes the period at a century's close, especially the late 19th century in Europe. Figuratively, 世紀末的 (fin-de-siècle) describes art or attitudes marked by decadence, ennui, or existential anxiety. The term carries rich connotations from European Symbolism and Decadent movements, and from Japanese literary circles of the Meiji and Taishō eras that engaged with these currents.

例文

1. 世紀末の雰囲気が漂う、退廃的な芸術作品が多く生まれた。
2. 19世紀の世紀末には、ヨーロッパ各地で文化的な変動があった。
3. 彼の小説には世紀末的な絶望感が色濃く反映されている。

使い方ガイド

場面: art history, literature, philosophy, cultural commentary

トーン: literary

起源と歴史

Compound of 世紀 (century) and 末 (end, tip). A calque of the French fin de siècle, adopted into Japanese intellectual discourse during the Meiji and Taishō periods as European aestheticism gained influence among writers and artists.

文化的背景

時代: Modern (late 19th century)

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Educated