lunar cycle

American

[loo-ner sahy-kuhl] / ˈlu nər ˈsaɪ kəl /

noun

Astronomy.

a cycle of 235 synodic months, very nearly equal to 19 years, after which the new moon occurs on the same day of the year as at the beginning of the cycle with perhaps a shift of one day, depending on the number of leap years in the cycle.

Etymology

Origin of lunar cycle

First recorded in 1695–1705

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.

However this blue moon comes from an alternative, more traditional definition when the lunar cycle results in any season having four, not three full moons.

From BBC • Aug. 19, 2024

The date of the festival varies depending on the lunar cycle.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 22, 2024

The new moon will mark the beginning of the next 29.5-day lunar cycle.

From Scientific American • Aug. 30, 2023

The survival of wild species depends on the variabilities of the natural world — day and night, seasons, the lunar cycle.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2022

By means of the lunar cycle the new moons of the calendar were indicated before the Reformation.

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023