BISSEXTILE Meaning and
Definition
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Bissextile refers to a term derived from the Latin words "bis" meaning twice, and "sextus" meaning sixth. It is used to describe a year that contains an extra day, commonly known as a leap day, inserted into the calendar to keep it synchronized with the Earth's orbit around the sun. Although the solar year consists of approximately 365.25 days, the standard calendar year consists of only 365 days, resulting in a discrepancy of about 0.25 days. As a solution to this discrepancy, the concept of bissextile year was introduced.
In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar worldwide, every year with a number divisible by 4 is generally considered a leap year, except for those divisible by 100, unless they are divisible by 400. This rule ensures that the calendar remains relatively in line with the Earth's orbit, compensating for the extra time it takes for the Earth to complete its revolution around the sun.
The addition of an extra day in a bissextile year, usually 29th February, extends the duration of that year to 366 days, with February having 29 days instead of the usual 28. This adjustment helps maintain the long-term accuracy of the calendar and ensures that the seasons occur at approximately the same time each year. Bissextile years play a crucial role in preventing the gradual shift of seasonal dates over time and contribute to the stability of the calendar system.
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• Every fourth year-so called by the anc. Romans, because in that year the sixth day of the calends of March (Feb. 24) was reckoned twice; leap year.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
Common Misspellings for BISSEXTILE
- vissextile
- nissextile
- hissextile
- gissextile
- bussextile
- bjssextile
- bkssextile
- bossextile
- b9ssextile
- b8ssextile
- biasextile
- bizsextile
- bixsextile
- bidsextile
- biesextile
- biwsextile
- bisaextile
- biszextile
- bisxextile
Etymology of BISSEXTILE
The word "bissextile" comes from Latin. It is derived from "bis" meaning "twice" and "sextus" meaning "sixth".
In the Julian calendar, every four years an additional day, February 29th, is inserted to keep the calendar in alignment with the solar year. This extra day is known as a leap day. The word "bissextile" was used to refer to these leap years because the Roman year originally had 355 days, and the additional day was inserted after the sixth day of the month of February. Therefore, "bissextile" can be translated roughly as "the sixth day twice", referring to the doubling of the sixth day of February.
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