bissextile

American  

[bahy-seks-til, -tahyl, bih-] / baɪˈsɛks tɪl, -taɪl, bɪ- /

adjective

1. containing or noting the extra day of leap year.

   The years 1980 and 1984 were both bissextile.

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noun

1. leap year.

bissextile British  

/ bɪˈsɛkstaɪl /

adjective

1. (of a month or year) containing the extra day of a leap year

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noun

1. a rare name for leap year

Etymology

Origin of bissextile

1585–95; < Late Latin bi ( s ) sextilis ( annus ) leap year, equivalent to bissext ( us ) bissextus + -ilis -ile

Example Sentences

For, on account of our intercalation of one day every bissextile year, the Mexican year receded, as compared with ours, one day every four years.

From Mexico, Aztec, Spanish and Republican Vol. 1 of 2 A Historical, Geographical, Political, Statistical and Social Account of That Country From the Period of the Invasion by the Spaniards to the Present Time; With a View of the Ancient Aztec Empire and Civilization; A Historical Sketch of the Late War; And Notices of New Mexico and California by Mayer, Brantz

Respecting the bissextile, I have already manifested my opinion in the chronology of the Indians.

From Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, Vol. I. by Stephens, John L.

So the Pope determined that in each 400 years there should be only 97 bissextile years, instead of 100, as there used to be in the Julian calendar.

From Astronomical Myths Based on Flammarions's History of the Heavens by Blake, John F.

I refer you to Montucla, if you have any doubt about the Egyptian year being of 365 days without bissextile of any kind.

From Personal Recollections, from Early Life to Old Age, of Mary Somerville by Somerville, Mary

On the other hand, however, to make the calendar more nearly agree with the sun's course, every fourth hundred year is still considered bissextile.

From Amusements in Mathematics by Dudeney, Henry Ernest