Gregorian calendar

[ gri-gawr-ee-uhn kal-uhn-der ]

noun

1. the reformed Julian calendar now in use, according to which the ordinary year consists of 365 days, and a leap year of 366 days occurs in every year whose number is exactly divisible by 4 except centenary years whose numbers are not exactly divisible by 400, such as 1700, 1800, and 1900.

Gregorian calendar

noun

1. the revision of the Julian calendar introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII and still in force, whereby the ordinary year is made to consist of 365 days and a leap year occurs in every year whose number is divisible by four, except those centenary years, such as 1900, whose numbers are not divisible by 400

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gregorian calendar¹

First recorded in 1640–50; named after Pope Gregory XIII; -ian

Example Sentences

The exact moment of the winter solstice varies from year to year due to a slight misalignment between the Gregorian calendar and the actual rate of the Earth’s rotation around the Sun, but it usually falls on 21 or 22 December.

From BBC

In the Gregorian calendar used in much of the rest of the world, that date is 8 March.

From BBC

At the time, Russia had not adopted the Gregorian calendar — named after Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced it in 1582 – and still used the Julian calendar – the brainchild of Julius Caesar and still used by Orthodox churches for religious rites.

From Seattle Times

That’s why most of the modern world has adopted the Gregorian calendar and its leap year system to allow days and months to stay in step with the seasons.

From National Geographic

The Islamic calendar is a lunar system that adds up to only 354 days and shifts some 11 days from the Gregorian calendar each year—though a single leap day is sometimes added.

From National Geographic