Metonic cycle

American  

[mi-ton-ik sahy-kuhl] / mɪˈtɒn ɪk ˈsaɪ kəl /

noun

Astronomy.

1. lunar cycle.

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Metonic cycle British  

/ mɪˈtɒnɪk /

noun

1. a cycle of nearly 235 synodic months after which the phases of the moon recur on the same days of the year See also golden number

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Etymology

Origin of Metonic cycle

First recorded in 1880–85; named after Meton, 5th-century b.c. Athenian astronomer; -ic

Example Sentences

This figure was a reference to the 19-year period relation of the moon known as the Metonic cycle, named after Greek astronomer Meton but discovered much earlier by the Babylonians.

From Scientific American • Dec. 14, 2021

He was a mathematician and astronomer, and the cycle mentioned by De Morgan is one of 532 years, a combination of the Metonic cycle of 19 years with the solar cycle of 28 years.

From A Budget of Paradoxes, Volume I by Smith, David Eugene

They compiled a calendar, in complete accord with the Metonic cycle, which modern science must declare faultless.

From Jewish Literature and Other Essays by Karpeles, Gustav

It is the period in which the moon goes through all her changes—a period known to the ancients as the lunar cycle, or Metonic cycle, and used by them to predict eclipses.

From Pioneers of Science by Lodge, Oliver, Sir

The Metonic cycle is 235 lunations or nineteen years, after which period the sun and moon occupy the same position relative to the stars.

From History of Astronomy by Forbes, George