Year, n.

n. [A-S. gear, gēr, O. Sax. iar, gēr, O. Fries. ier, ger, iar, D. jaar, O. D. jaer, L. Ger. jōr, Goth. jēr, O. H. Ger. jār, N. H. Ger. jahr, Icel. ár, Dan. aar, Sw. är, O. Per. yārē.]

1Sense 1. The time of the apparent revolution of the sun through the ecliptic; the period occupied by the earth in making its revolution around the sun; also, a period more or less nearly agreeing with this, adopted by various nations as a measure of time, as the lunar year of 354 days, still in use among the Mohammedans; the year of 360 days, of 365, and the like. In common usage, the year consists of 365 days, and every fourth year of 366, a day being added to February on that year, on account of the excess above 365 days.

2Sense 2. The time in which any planet completes a revolution about the sun; as, the year of Jupiter or of Saturn.

3Sense 3. (pl.) Age, or old age; as, a man in years.

Anomalistical year, the time of the earth’s revolution from perihelion to perihelion again, which is 365 days, 6 hours, 13 minutes, and 48 seconds.—Bissextile or leap year, the year consisting of 366 days. It is such a year of the current reckoning as is evenly divisible by 4, except those, as 1700, 1800, &c., that are divisible by 100 and not by 400. The intercalary day is placed at the end of February.—Civil year, the year which any nation has adopted for the computation of time.—Common lunar year, the period of 12 lunar civil months, or 354 days.—Common year, each year of 365 days, as distinguished from leap year.—Embolismic or intercalary lunar year, the period of 13 lunar civil months, or 384 days.—Fiscal year (Com.), the year by which accounts are reckoned, or the year between one annual time of settlement, or balancing of accounts, and another.—Gregorian year, the Julian year, as corrected, and now generally used among civilized nations. From the difference between this and the Julian year arises the distinction of Old and New Style. See STYLE.—Julian year, the year adopted by Julius Cæsar, consisting of 365 days for three years in succession, and 366 for the fourth, and having a mean length of 365 days, 6 hours.—Lunar astronomical year, the period of 12 lunar synodical months, or 354 days, 8 hours, 48 minutes, 36 seconds.—Lunar year, the interval of 12 lunar months.—Sabbatic year (Jewish Antiq.), every seventh year, during which the land was suffered to lie untilled.—Sidereal year, the time in which the sun, departing from any fixed star, returns to the same. This is 365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes, and 9.7 seconds.—To-year, this year. [Obs. and rare.] Webster. 1623.—Tropical year, the time of the earth’s revolution from the vernal equinox to the same equinox again, or 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 46.04 seconds.—Year of grace, the first year of the Christian era; Anno Domini; A. D.

The civil or legal year, in England, formerly commenced on the 25th day of March. This practice continued throughout the British dominions till the year 1752.