almanac

American  

[awl-muh-nak] / ˈɔl məˌnæk /

noun

1. an annual publication containing a calendar for the coming year, the times of such events and phenomena as anniversaries, sunrises and sunsets, phases of the moon, tides, etc., and other statistical information and related topics.

2. a publication containing astronomical or meteorological information, usually including future positions of celestial objects, star magnitudes, and culmination dates of constellations.

3. an annual reference book of useful and interesting facts relating to countries of the world, sports, entertainment, etc.

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almanac British  

/ ˈɔːlməˌnæk /

noun

1. Also (archaic): almanack.  a yearly calendar giving statistical information on events and phenomena, such as the phases of the moon, times of sunrise and sunset, tides, anniversaries, etc

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Etymology

Origin of almanac

1350–1400; Middle English almenak < Medieval Latin almanach < Spanish Arabic al the + manākh calendar < ?

Example Sentences

They read popular almanacs, and learned and admired the intricacies of orreries—mechanical models of the celestial sphere—that they flocked to view at numerous colleges.

From The Wall Street Journal

Use encyclopedias, almanacs, anything you can get your hands on.

From Literature

“A baby, a baby, a baby!” he muttered as he paged through his almanac.

From Literature

“Blast,” she muttered, as Lord Fredrick so often did when he could not find his almanac.

From Literature

She did not fully trust the admiral, and so did not mention that Lord Fredrick’s most prized possession was an almanac with all the full-moon dates circled.

From Literature

Related Words

• calendar
• journal
• yearbook