saros

[ sair-os ]

nounAstronomy.
  1. 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.

Origin of saros

1
1605–15; <Greek sáros ≪ Akkadian shār

Other words from saros

  • sa·ron·ic [suh-ron-ik], /səˈrɒn ɪk/, adjective

Other definitions for Saros (2 of 2)

Saros
[ sahr-ohs, -aws ]

noun
  1. 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. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for saros (1 of 2)

saros

/ (ˈseɪrɒs) /


noun
  1. 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

Origin of saros

1
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

Derived forms of saros

  • saronic (səˈrɒnɪk), adjective

British Dictionary definitions for Saros (2 of 2)

Saros

/ (ˈsɑːrɒs) /


noun
  1. 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