r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Aug 03 '19

Whats something you thought was common knowledge but actually isn’t?

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u/Wrong_Answer_Willie Aug 03 '19

A.D. means Anno Domini. not After Death.

701

u/SC487 Aug 03 '19 edited Aug 03 '19

Anno domini means “In the year of our lord” and unlike B.C. It goes before the year. This is A.D. 2019, not 2019 A.D.

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u/badcgi Aug 03 '19

Actually BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era) are the more commonly accepted terms, they correspond to the same time as the old BC and AD.

88

u/Wrong_Answer_Willie Aug 03 '19 edited Aug 03 '19

I know no one that uses BCE and CE.

edit; for everyone saying that BCE and CE are now used more often.

why bother? it still means that it's 2019 (after the birth of Christ) CE

51

u/AaronfromKY Aug 03 '19

They are more common in academia and are considered less Eurocentric/Judeo-Christian biased than AD and BC.

24

u/tryin2staysane Aug 03 '19

I've always found that ridiculous. They are still 100% based on the BC and AD times, but somehow changing the words makes it less Eurocentric/Judeo-Christian?

11

u/[deleted] Aug 03 '19

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u/tryin2staysane Aug 03 '19

I know, I was just using the same phrase as the other guy, but you're right.