The word 世纪 (shìjì) is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a core concept to create a new, unified meaning. 世 means "generation" or "era", implying a long span of time connected by human life and society, while 纪 means "to record" or "a defined period". Together, they conceptually fuse to signify "a recorded era" or "a defined epoch", specifically coining a term for the Western concept of a "century". This formation was adopted in the late 19th/early 20th century to translate the European notion of a 100-year period, drawing a parallel to the Latin root of "century" (saeculum), which also carries meanings of both an "age" and a "generation".