Words at Play : Top 10 Words for Useful & Intriguing Concepts
Definition:
the spirit of the time; the general moral, intellectual, and cultural climate of an era
Example:
"Twitter provides an insight into the minute-by-minute zeitgeist of the internet." Nicholas Pell, GoBankingrates.com, September 29, 2011
About the Word:
This German word (Zeit means "time"; Geist means "spirit") is usually associated with the philosopher who popularized it, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.