The Enlightenment
Etymology
A calque of the French “Lumières” and German “Aufklärung,” all resting on the metaphor of light dispelling the darkness of ignorance; English “enlighten” goes back to Old English “inlīhtan,” “to shine light into.” The capitalized period label was largely applied in hindsight from the 19th century onward. Kant’s 1784 essay “What Is Enlightenment?” framed it as humanity’s emergence from self-imposed immaturity.
noun · /en-LY-ten-ment/
The 18th-century European movement that championed reason, science, and individual liberty over inherited tradition and religious authority.
What it names
The era when modern ideas of rights, progress, and rational inquiry took hold, giving us a handle for the roots of democracy and secular thought.
Example
She traced the idea that government needs the consent of the governed straight back to the Enlightenment.
Related idea
Distinguish it from humanism — the earlier Renaissance revival of classical learning that centered human dignity — whereas the Enlightenment specifically elevated reason and empirical inquiry as tools to reform society.