epact

American  

[ee-pakt] / ˈi pækt /

noun

1. the difference in days between a solar year and a lunar year.

2. the number of days since the new moon at the beginning of the calendar year, January 1.

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epact British  

/ ˈiːpækt /

noun

1. the difference in time, about 11 days, between the solar year and the lunar year

2. the number of days between the beginning of the calendar year and the new moon immediately preceding this

3. the difference in time between the calendar month and the synodic month

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Etymology

Origin of epact

1545–55; < Late Latin epacta < Greek epaktḗ, noun use of feminine of epaktós added, equivalent to ep- ep- + ag ( ein ) to lead + -tos verbid suffix

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

epact

The epact of the following year is therefore twenty-nine.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4 "Bulgaria" to "Calgary" by Various

It is, however, only used in those years in which the epact 19 concurs with the golden number 19.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4 "Bulgaria" to "Calgary" by Various

The value of L is always given by the formula for the dominical letter, and P and l are easily deduced from the epact, as will appear from the following considerations.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4 "Bulgaria" to "Calgary" by Various

During those few and sombre days which represented the epact of the dying year, Martin Grimbal returned to Chagford.

From Children of the Mist by Eden Phillpotts

For, says he, because of the double epact that occurs on the 4th and 5th of April that lunation has only 29 days.

From Our Calendar by George Nichols Packer

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