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Permanent link for this word: bissextile

Aug 15, 2007

This week's theme
Words related to calendar

This week's words
ides
intercalary
bissextile
greek calends
menology

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bissextile

adjective: Of or pertaining to the leap year or the extra day in the leap year.
noun: Leap year.

[From Latin bisextilis annus (leap year), from bissextus (February 29: leap day), from bi- (two) + sextus (sixth), from the fact that the sixth day before the Calends of March (February 24) appeared twice every leap year.]

"It's finally bissextile day. Calm down, this story has nothing to do with gender preferences. For the 200,000 of you Americans out there born on Feb. 29, the long wait is over. Have a happy birthday."
Tony Germanotta; Let's Leap for Joy; The Virginian-Pilot; Feb 29, 2004.

See more usage examples of bissextile year in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

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