legal year see under year

year /yēr or yûr/

noun (pl years or, used adjectivally with a preceding numeral, year, eg a three-year period)

1. The time taken by the earth to orbit the sun, approx 365 days 6 hours but varying slightly according to the method of measurement (see anomalistic year, astronomical year, etc below)
2. The time taken by any specified planet to revolve round the sun or, eg in science fiction, round any star
3. The period of time beginning on 1 January and ending on 31 December, consisting of 365 days (except in a leap year, when one day is added to February, making the number 366), the present legal, civil or calendar year (see below)
4. A space of twelve calendar months, or a period within each twelve-month space characterized by a particular activity, etc
5. Students, etc as a group at the same stage of their education
6. (in pl) a period of time or a person's life
7. (in pl) a person's age
8. (in pl) old age (archaic or poetic)
9. (in pl) a very long time

yearˈling noun

1. An animal a year old
2. A racehorse one year old, as calculated from 1 January of its year of foaling
3. A bond maturing after one year (finance)

adjective

1. A year old
2. Maturing after one year (finance)

yearˈly adjective

1. Happening every year
2. Lasting a year
3. For a year

adverb

1. Once a year
2. From year to year

noun

A publication appearing, an event occurring, etc, once a year

yearˈbook noun

A book published annually, reviewing the events of the past year

year-endˈ noun

The end of the (esp financial) year (also adjective)

yearˈlong adjective

Lasting a year

year-on-yearˈ adjective (economics)

Of figures, set against figures for the equivalent period in the previous year

yearˈ-round adjective

Existing, lasting, open, etc throughout the year

anomalistic year

A year as measured by the earth's time of passage from perihelion to perihelion, ie 365 days, 6 hours, 13 minutes, 49 seconds

astronomical year

A year as measured by the time between two occurrences of the same equinox or solstice, ie the time taken for one complete mean apparent circuit of the ecliptic by the sun, ie 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 46 seconds (also called the equinoctial, natural, solar or tropical year)

calendar year same as legal year below.

canicular year

The Sothic year (see under Sothic)

civil year same as legal year below.

ecclesiastical year

The year as arranged in the ecclesiastical calendar, with the saints' days, festivals, etc

embolismic year

A year of thirteen lunar months (384 days) occurring in a lunisolar calendar such as that of the Jews

equinoctial year see astronomical year above.

financial year see under finance

fiscal year see under fiscal

great year see Platonic year below.

Hebrew year

A lunisolar year, of 12 or 13 months of 29 or 30 days (in every cycle of nineteen years the 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th and 19th having thirteen months instead of twelve)

Julian year

The year according to the Julian calendar (introduced by Julius Caesar, modified by Augustus; superseded by the Gregorian calendar), a period of 3651/4 days, longer than an astronomical year by about 11 minutes (see also style)

leap year see above.

legal year

The year by which dates are reckoned (it has begun on different dates at different periods in history, and for six centuries before 1752 it began in England on 25 March since when (earlier in Scotland) it has begun on 1 January)

lunar year

A period of twelve lunar months or 354 days

natural year see astronomical year above.

Platonic year

A cycle of years at the end of which the heavenly bodies were supposed to be again in the same place as at the Creation (also called great or perfect year)

sabbatical year see under Sabbath

sidereal year

The period required by the sun to move from a given star to the same star again, having a mean value of 365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes, 9.6 seconds

solar or tropical year see astronomical year above.

the year dot see under dot¹

the Year of Grace, or of our Lord

A formula used in stating any particular year since Christ's birth

year in, year out

1. (happening, done, etc) every year
2. With monotonous regularity