the
period of European
history between ancient and modern
times, a.d. 476 - ca 1450. It began with the
fall of
Rome in the
fifth century and ended with the
Renaissance (the great revival of
art, literature and learning in Europe in the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries). The
Middle Ages are associated with many beliefs and practices that now seem out of date.
—3rd South African published appr gls (14.4.92)