Turn of the century

The turn of the century is the transition from one century to another, or the time period before or after that change in centuries.

The phrase "turn of the century" is generally understood to mean the change (whether upcoming or past) closest to the current generation.

[1] The Chicago Manual of Style has indicated some ambiguity on the exact meaning of the phrase "turn of the n-th century".

For instance, if a statement describes an event as taking place "at the turn of the 18th century", it could refer to a period around the year 1701 or around 1800, that is, the beginning or end of that century.

Consequently they recommend only using "turn of the century", in a context that makes clear which transition is meant,[2] otherwise using different, unambiguous, wording.