German 'Zeit' (time) + 'Geist' (spirit) — borrowed mid-1800s to name the defining character of an era.
The defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.
From German 'Zeitgeist,' literally 'time-spirit,' a compound of 'Zeit' (time) and 'Geist' (spirit, mind, ghost). The concept was central to German Idealist philosophy, particularly in Hegel's philosophy of history, where the Zeitgeist represented the progressive self-realization of Spirit through successive historical epochs. Though often attributed to Hegel, he actually used 'Geist der Zeiten' (spirit of the times); the single compound 'Zeitgeist' was popularized by other
English 'ghost' and German 'Geist' are cognates from Proto-Germanic *gaistaz, but they diverged dramatically in meaning. 'Ghost' narrowed to mean a dead person's apparition, while 'Geist' broadened to encompass mind, intellect, spirit, wit, and the Holy Spirit ('der Heilige Geist'). German 'Geist' does the work of at least four English words.