leap second

American  

noun

1. an extra second intercalated into the world's timekeeping system about once a year, made necessary by the gradual slowing down of the earth's rotation.

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leap second British  

noun

1. a second added to or removed from a scale for reckoning time on one particular occasion, to synchronize it with another scale

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leap second Scientific  

/ lēp /

1. A second of time, as measured by an atomic clock, added to or omitted from official timekeeping systems annually to compensate for changes in the rotation of the Earth.

2. See more at coordinated universal time

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leap second Cultural  

1. A second inserted into the year to make up for the fact that the Earth's rotation is slowing down.

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Discover More

Scientists know when to insert a leap second by comparing the Earth's rotation to an atomic clock.

Etymology

Origin of leap second

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Ice sheets are now losing mass five times faster than they were 30 years ago, meaning that the negative leap second change will not be needed until 2029, the study suggests.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2024

There’s even a leap second occasionally, but there’s no hullabaloo when that happens.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 24, 2024

Devised in 1972 and used 27 times since, the leap second wreaks havoc with modern-day telecommunications, banking, and other networks.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 30, 2022

Although human timepieces have been calibrated with Earth’s rotation for millennia, most people will feel little effect from the loss of the leap second.

From Scientific American • Nov. 22, 2022

Eliminating the leap second is seen a way of preserving adherence to U.T.C. by making it a continuous time scale rather than one that is episodically interrupted.

From New York Times • Nov. 19, 2022