शताब्दी (shataabdii)

noun A single-sense noun meaning 'century' (a period of a hundred years); also used as part of the names of famous fast trains in India.
Sense 1 : century (100-year period)
noun, feminine
Synonyms: सदी (sadii)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll most often hear this word in the news or history class: इक्कीसवीं शताब्दी (ikkiisviin shataabdii, 'the twenty-first century') is a very common phrase. In everyday speech सदी (sadii) is just as common and slightly more casual, so the two are freely interchangeable. You may also recognize शताब्दी (shataabdii) from Shatabdi Express trains, named to evoke speed and modernity when introduced to mark India's progress.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse शताब्दी (shataabdii) with दशक (dashak, decade) -- शताब्दी (shataabdii) is specifically a hundred years, not ten. 2) When naming a specific century, the ordinal comes before the noun, e.g. इक्कीसवीं शताब्दी (ikkiisviin shataabdii, 'the twenty-first century'), not after it as in English word-for-word translation.
Sample Sentences:
इक्कीसवीं शताब्दी में तकनीक ने बहुत तरक्की की है। Technology has made a lot of progress in the twenty-first century.
(ikkiisviin shataabdii men takniik ne bahut tarakkii kii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
यह मंदिर बारहवीं शताब्दी में बनाया गया था। This temple was built in the twelfth century.
(yah mandir baarahviin shataabdii men banaayaa gayaa thaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
इतिहास की किताब में हर शताब्दी की मुख्य घटनाएँ दी गई हैं। The history book gives the main events of every century.
(itihaas kii kitaab men har shataabdii kii mukhy ghatnaaen dii gaii hain।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
अगली शताब्दी में इंसान शायद मंगल पर बस्तियाँ बना ले। In the next century, humans might perhaps build settlements on Mars.
(aglii shataabdii men insaan shaayad mangal par bastiyaan banaa le।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
अगर यह खोज पिछली शताब्दी में हो जाती, तो दुनिया बहुत अलग होती। If this discovery had happened in the last century, the world would be very different.
(agar yah khoj pichhlii shataabdii men ho jaatii, to duniyaa bahut alag hotii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
बीसवीं शताब्दी दो विश्व युद्धों के लिए जानी जाती है। The twentieth century is known for two world wars.
(biisviin shataabdii do vishv yuddhon ke lie jaanii jaatii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
आधी शताब्दी बीत जाने के बाद भी लोग उस क्रांति को याद करते हैं। Even after half a century has passed, people still remember that revolution.
(aadhii shataabdii biit jaane ke baad bhii log us kraanti ko yaad karte hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
शिक्षक ने पूछा कि नई शताब्दी की सबसे बड़ी खोज कौन सी थी। The teacher asked what the greatest discovery of the new century was.
(shikshak ne poochhaa ki naii shataabdii kii sabse badii khoj kaun sii thii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
इस मूर्ति की उम्र लगभग एक शताब्दी बताई जाती है। The age of this statue is said to be about a century.
(is moorti kii umr lagbhag ek shataabdii bataaii jaatii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
काश हम पिछली शताब्दी के उस दौर को देख पाते। I wish we could have seen that era of the last century.
(kaash ham pichhlii shataabdii ke us daur ko dekh paate।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
इस विश्वविद्यालय की स्थापना की एक शताब्दी पूरी होने वाली है। It has been almost a century since this university's founding.
(is vishvvidyaalay kii sthaapnaa kii ek shataabdii poorii hone vaalii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): शताब्दी (shataabdii)
(sg.f.oblique): शताब्दी (shataabdii)
(pl.f.direct): शताब्दियाँ (shataabdiyaan)
(pl.f.oblique): शताब्दियों (shataabdiyon)