saros

[ sair-os ]

/ ˈsɛər ɒs /

noun Astronomy.

the period of 223 synodic months, equaling 6585.32 days or 18 years, 11.32 days (or 10.32 days if 5 leap years occur in the interval), after which eclipses repeat but are shifted 120° west.

Nearby words

Origin of saros

1605–15; < Greek sáros ≪ Akkadian shār

Related formssa·ron·ic

[suh-ron-ik] /səˈrɒn ɪk/, adjective

Definition for saros (2 of 2)

Saros

[ sahr-ohs, -aws ]

/ ˈsɑr oʊs, -ɔs /

noun

Gulf of, an inlet of the Aegean, N of the Gallipoli Peninsula. 37 miles (60 km) long; 22 miles (35 km) wide.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for saros

The discovery of the Saros was such as was within their power, and was certainly no small achievement.
The Astronomy of the Bible|E. Walter Maunder
A new eclipse thus entering will at first be a very small one, but will be larger at every recurrence in each Saros.
The Story of Eclipses|George Chambers
But a given Saros eclipse in its successive reappearances undergoes other transformations besides that of Terrestrial longitude.
The Story of Eclipses|George Chambers
Eclipses occur in cycles, the best known of which is the Saros, although there are also smaller cycles which are not so accurate.
A Possible Solution of the Number Series on Pages 51 to 58 of the Dresden Codex|Carl E. Guthe

This cycle was known to the ancients under the name of Saros.
The Sailor's Word-Book|William Henry Smyth

British Dictionary definitions for saros (1 of 2)

saros

/ (ˈseɪrɒs) /

noun

a cycle of about 18 years 11 days (6585.32 days) in which eclipses of the sun and moon occur in the same sequence and at the same intervals as in the previous such cycle

Derived Formssaronic (səˈrɒnɪk), adjective

Word Origin for saros

C19: from Greek, from Babylonian šāru 3600 (years); modern astronomical use apparently based on mistaken interpretation of šāru as a period of 18 1/2 years

British Dictionary definitions for saros (2 of 2)

Saros

/ (ˈsɑːrɒs) /

noun

Gulf of Saros an inlet of the Aegean in NW Turkey, north of the Gallipoli Peninsula. Length: 59 km (37 miles). Width: 35 km (22 miles)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012