ˈtsītˌgīst, ˈzīt- noun
( -s )
Usage: often capitalized
Etymology: German, from zeit time (from Old High German zīt ) + geist spirit, from Old High German — more at tide , ghost
: the spirit of the time : the general intellectual and moral state or the trend of culture and taste characteristic of an era
the zeitgeist of these centuries … operated against the development of a pure science — J.K.Robertson
speed is a part of our zeitgeist ; it is basic … to our ability to produce — V.E.Leichty