Meaning of the BCE Acronym Explained | Generated by AI
Question: What does BCE stand for? Is it Before Century Era?
Answer:
BCE stands for Before Common Era.
It is not “Before Century Era” (that is not a correct or used term).
BCE is the modern, religiously neutral equivalent of BC (“Before Christ”).
- BC = Before Christ (traditional Christian dating system)
- BCE = Before Common Era (secular/academic term, same time period)
- AD = Anno Domini (“in the year of our Lord”) → now often replaced with
- CE = Common Era
Both BC/BCE refer to the same years. For example:
- 500 BC = 500 BCE
- 44 BC (year Julius Caesar died) = 44 BCE
The switch to BCE/CE is mainly used in academic writing, textbooks, Wikipedia, and by people/organizations who want to avoid religious references in historical dating while keeping exactly the same timeline (with year 1 being the same point).
So in short:
BCE = Before Common Era
(not Before Century Era)
References:
- None needed for this standard definition