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leap second
noun
- an extra second intercalated into the world's timekeeping system about once a year, made necessary by the gradual slowing down of the earth's rotation.
leap second
noun
- a second added to or removed from a scale for reckoning time on one particular occasion, to synchronize it with another scale
leap second
/ lēp /
- A second of time, as measured by an atomic clock, added to or omitted from official timekeeping systems annually to compensate for changes in the rotation of the Earth.
- See more at coordinated universal time
leap second
- A second inserted into the year to make up for the fact that the Earth 's rotation is slowing down.
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Notes
Scientists know when to insert a leap second by comparing the Earth's rotation to an atomic clock .
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Word History and Origins
Origin of leap second1
First recorded in 1970–75
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