year

year

year the time taken by the earth to make one revolution around the sun. The length of the year depends on the manner of calculation. For ordinary purposes the important period is the tropical year (also called astronomical year, equinoctial year, or solar year) which is the time between successive spring or autumn equinoxes, or winter or summer solstices, roughly 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds in length. This period thus marks the regular cycle of the seasons.

The calendar year or civil year is the period of 365 days (or 366 days in leap years) starting from the first of January, used for reckoning time in ordinary affairs.

The word is recorded from Old English (in form gē(a)r) and is of Germanic origin; it comes from an Indo-European root shared by Greek hōra ‘season’.
a year and a day a legal period constituting a term for certain purposes, in order to ensure the completion of a full year.
year of grace year — ad, suggested by medieval Latin anno gratiae, used by chroniclers to indicate the year as reckoned from the birth of Christ. Year of Our Lord is year — ad, as reckoned from the birth of Christ; anno domini.
Year 2000 problem (also called Y2K) another name for the Millennium bug.
year's mind the anniversary of a person's death or burial, as an occasion for special prayers; a Requiem Mass held on such an anniversary; the term is recorded from the 11th century.

See also a cherry year, a merry year, donkeys' years at donkey, locust years, next year in Jerusalem.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "year." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "year." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-year.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "year." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-year.html

Learn more about citation styles

year

year The Earth's period of orbital revolution around the Sun, and hence by extension the orbital period of any planet. Astronomically the Earth's year can be defined in several ways. The actual orbital period with reference to the fixed stars is the sidereal year, 365.256 36 days. However, the positions of the stars are gradually changing because of precession. The interval between successive passages through the mean equinox is termed the tropical year, 365.242 19 days, which takes precession into account. This is the most commonly adopted definition of the year as it is the one that relates directly to seasonal changes. A further form of year is the anomalistic year, which is the average interval between successive passages of the Earth through the perihelion point of its elliptical orbit, 365.259 64 days. This differs slightly from the sidereal year due to small perturbations of the Earth's orbit by the gravitational influence of the other planets. Another definition of the year in astronomical use is the eclipse year of 346.620 03 days. This is the average interval between successive passages of the Sun through a node of the Moon's orbit. See also calendar year.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"year." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"year." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-year.html

"year." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-year.html

Learn more about citation styles

year

year / yi(ə)r/ • n. 1. the time taken by a planet to make one revolution around the sun. 2. (also cal·en·dar year or civ·il year) the period of 365 days (or 366 days in leap years) starting from the first of January, used for reckoning time. ∎  a period of the same length as this starting at any point. ∎  a similar period used for reckoning time according to other calendars: the Muslim year. 3. (one's years) one's age or time of life: she had a composure well beyond her years. 4. (years) inf. a very long time; ages: it's going to take years to put that right. PHRASES: —— of the year a person or thing chosen as outstanding in a specified field or of a specified kind in a particular year: the sports personality of the year.a year and a day the period specified in some legal matters to ensure the completion of a full year.year in and year out continuously or repeatedly over a period of years: they rented the same bungalow year in and year out.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"year." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"year." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-year.html

"year." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-year.html

Learn more about citation styles

year

year In order to synchronize lunar and solar years, Jews added an extra month to twelve lunar months, as required. Before the Exile, the new year began in autumn when agricultural work was finished; but in the Exile the Jews took over the babylonian year, which began in the spring, as the civil year, while retaining the former New Year for religious use.

The observance of Rosh Hashanah (‘beginning [literally ‘head’] of the year’) still takes place in September–October (the first day of the month Tishri). According to Jewish tradition, there was a period of God's judgement which began on this day and lasted until Yom Kippur ten days later.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

W. R. F. BROWNING. "year." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

W. R. F. BROWNING. "year." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-year.html

W. R. F. BROWNING. "year." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-year.html

Learn more about citation styles

year

year time required for the earth to complete one orbit about the sun. The solar or tropical year is measured relative to the sun and is equal to 365 days, 5 hr, 48 min, 46 sec of mean solar time (see solar time ). The sidereal year , measured relative to the stars, is longer than the tropical year by about 20 min. The calendar year is used for practical purposes and always contains a whole number of days, the ordinary year being 365 days and the leap year 366 days.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"year." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"year." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-year.html

"year." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-year.html

Learn more about citation styles

year

year period of the earth's revolution round the sun; 12 months; pl. age OE.; pl. period, times XIII. OE. (Angl.) ġēr, (WS.) ġēar = OS. jār, gēr (Du. jaar), OHG. jār (G. jahr), ON. ár, Goth. jēr :- Gmc. *jǣram, f. IE. base *jēr- *jōr-, repr. also by Gr. hôros year.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

T. F. HOAD. "year." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "year." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-year.html

T. F. HOAD. "year." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-year.html

Learn more about citation styles

Year

Year (religious): see CALENDAR.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

JOHN BOWKER. "Year." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Year." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Year.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Year." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Year.html

Learn more about citation styles

year

yearadhere, Agadir, appear, arrear, auctioneer, austere, balladeer, bandolier, Bashkir, beer, besmear, bier, blear, bombardier, brigadier, buccaneer, cameleer, career, cashier, cavalier, chandelier, charioteer, cheer, chevalier, chiffonier, clavier, clear, Coetzee, cohere, commandeer, conventioneer, Cordelier, corsetière, Crimea, dear, deer, diarrhoea (US diarrhea), domineer, Dorothea, drear, ear, electioneer, emir, endear, engineer, fear, fleer, Freer, fusilier, gadgeteer, Galatea, gazetteer, gear, gondolier, gonorrhoea (US gonorrhea), Greer, grenadier, hear, here, Hosea, idea, interfere, Izmir, jeer, Judaea, Kashmir, Keir, kir, Korea, Lear, leer, Maria, marketeer, Medea, Meir, Melilla, mere, Mia, Mir, mishear, mountaineer, muleteer, musketeer, mutineer, near, orienteer, pamphleteer, panacea, paneer, peer, persevere, pier, Pierre, pioneer, pistoleer, privateer, profiteer, puppeteer, queer, racketeer, ratafia, rear, revere, rhea, rocketeer, Sapir, scrutineer, sear, seer, sere, severe, Shamir, shear, sheer, sincere, smear, sneer, sonneteer, souvenir, spear, sphere, steer, stere, summiteer, Tangier, tear, tier, Trier, Tyr, veer, veneer, Vere, Vermeer, vizier, volunteer, Wear, weir, we're, year, Zaïre

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"year." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"year." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-year.html

"year." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-year.html

Learn more about citation styles

Facts and information from other sites

Pictures from Google Image Search

Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture

See more pictures of year