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Islamic calendar

American  
[is-lam-ik kal-uhn-der, -lahmik, iz-] / ɪsˈlæm ɪk ˈkæl ən dər, -ˈlɑmɪk, ɪz- /

noun

  1. the lunar calendar used by Muslims and reckoned from a.d. 622: the calendar year consists of 354 days and contains 12 months: Muharram, Safar, Rabi al-Awwal, Rabi al-Thani, Jumada al-Awwa, Jumada al-Thani, Rajab, Shaban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhu ʾl-Qaʿda, and Dhu ʾl-Hijjah. In leap years the month Dhu ʾl-Hijjah contains one extra day.


Etymology

Origin of Islamic calendar

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

"Yesterday marked one year" since disaster struck, said mosque leader Khin Maung Naing, counting by the Islamic calendar.

From Barron's Mar. 26, 2026

It is the most important time in the Islamic calendar where Muslims fast and refrain from eating or drinking between dawn and sunset.

From BBC Mar. 1, 2025

The Islamic calendar is a lunar system that adds up to only 354 days and shifts some 11 days from the Gregorian calendar each year—though a single leap day is sometimes added.

From National Geographic Feb. 26, 2024

That includes one of the biggest holidays of the Islamic calendar, Eid al-Adha, which began Tuesday night.

From Seattle Times Jun. 27, 2023

It represents the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the dates vary each year.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 17, 2023

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