saros

[ sair-os ]

/ ˈsɛər ɒs /

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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.

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Origin of saros

1605–15; <Greek sáros ≪ Akkadian shār

OTHER WORDS FROM saros

sa·ron·ic

[suh-ron-ik], /səˈrɒn ɪk/, adjective

Words nearby saros

sarnie, Sarnoff, sarod, sarong, Saronic Gulf, saros, Sarouk, Saroyan, sarpanch, Sarpedon, Sarpi

Other definitions 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. 2023

How to use saros in a sentence

This recurrence of eclipses after intervals of 18·03 years is called the Saros, and was known to the Chaldeans.
The Astronomy of the Bible|E. Walter Maunder
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
But a given Saros eclipse in its successive reappearances undergoes other transformations besides that of Terrestrial longitude.
The Story of Eclipses|George Chambers
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

The foregoing does not by any means exhaust all that can be said respecting the Saros even on the popular side.
The Story of Eclipses|George Chambers

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 forms of saros

saronic (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