How Do You Spell BISSEXTILE YEAR?

Pronunciation: [bˈɪsɪkstˌa͡ɪl jˈi͡ə] (IPA)

The spelling of "bissextile year" is quite unique, especially in regards to its pronunciation. In IPA phonetic transcription, it would be written as /bɪˈsɛkstaɪl jɪər/. This term refers to a leap year, which occurs every four years. The word "bissextile" comes from the Latin word "bis" (meaning twice) and "sextus" (meaning sixth) as the Romans used to count their days inclusively, meaning that every sixth day was counted twice, resulting in a leap year to balance the calendar.

BISSEXTILE YEAR Meaning and Definition

1. A bissextile year, also known as a leap year, refers to a calendar year that contains an additional day, usually February 29th, inserted to keep the calendar synchronized with Earth's revolutions around the sun. The purpose of including this extra day is to offset the minor discrepancy between the calendar year of 365 days and the actual time it takes for the Earth to complete one orbit around the sun, which is approximately 365.2425 days.

   The concept of bissextile year dates back to the Roman era, where it was established by Julius Caesar in 45 BCE as part of the Julian calendar. By declaring that every fourth year would include this extra day, Caesar endeavored to compensate for the roughly six-hour gap that accumulates each year between the calendar and solar cycles.

   In modern times, the Gregorian calendar has replaced the Julian calendar, but it retained the concept of bissextile years. While most years consist of 365 days, every year divisible by four, except for those divisible by 100 but not by 400, becomes a leap year. This rule helps to adjust the calendar to more accurately reflect the Earth's orbital period, minimizing the ongoing misalignment that would otherwise occur.

   The adjectival term "bissextile" is derived from the Latin bissextus, meaning "twice sixth," referring to the addition of the extra day placed after February 28th. Thus, a bissextile year is a periodic event designed to harmonize the human-constructed calendar with the astronomical reality of Earth's revolution around the sun.

Common Misspellings for BISSEXTILE YEAR

• vissextile year
• nissextile year
• hissextile year
• gissextile year
• bussextile year
• bjssextile year
• bkssextile year
• bossextile year
• b9ssextile year
• b8ssextile year
• biasextile year
• bizsextile year
• bixsextile year
• bidsextile year
• biesextile year
• biwsextile year
• bisaextile year
• biszextile year
• bisxextile year

Etymology of BISSEXTILE YEAR

The word bissextile is derived from the Latin term bis sextus, which means twice sixth. In the Julian calendar, every fourth year had an additional day, February 29, to keep the calendar aligned with the solar year. This extra day was added after February 23, the sixth day before the end of the month. Therefore, the year in which this extra day is added is called a bissextile year.

Similar spelling word for BISSEXTILE YEAR

• bissextile day.