what is the literal meaning of the french word renaissance
French Renaissance The word "Renaissance" is a French word, whose literal translation into English is "Rebirth". The word Renaissance was first used and defined[1] by French historian Jules Michelet (1798â€“1874), in his 1855 work, Histoire de France (History of France).[2] Jules Michelet defined the 16th-century Renaissance in France as a period in Europe's cultural history that represented a break from the Middle Ages, creating a modern understanding of humanity and its place in the world.[3] As a French citizen and historian, Michelet also claimed the Renaissance as a French movement.[4] His work is at the origin of the use of the French word "Renaissance" in other languages.