<P> The word `` Renaissance '' is a French word , whose literal translation into English is `` Rebirth '' . The word Renaissance was first used and defined by French historian Jules Michelet ( 1798 -- 1874 ) , in his 1855 work , Histoire de France ( History of France ) . 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 . As a French citizen and historian , Michelet also claimed the Renaissance as a French movement . His work is at the origin of the use of the French word `` Renaissance '' in other languages . </P>
<P> The word `` Renaissance '' is a French word , whose literal translation into English is `` Rebirth '' . The word Renaissance was first used and defined by French historian Jules Michelet ( 1798 -- 1874 ) , in his 1855 work , Histoire de France ( History of France ) . 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 . As a French citizen and historian , Michelet also claimed the Renaissance as a French movement . His work is at the origin of the use of the French word `` Renaissance '' in other languages . </P>
what is the literal meaning of the french word renaissance
what is the literal meaning of the french word renaissance
`` Rebirth ''
`` Rebirth ''