Sothic year

noun

1. the fixed year of the ancient Egyptians, determined by the heliacal rising of Sirius, and equivalent to 365 days.

Sothic year

noun

1. the fixed year of the ancient Egyptians, 365 days 6 hours long, beginning with the appearance of the star Sirius on the eastern horizon at dawn, which heralded the yearly flooding of the Nile. A Sothic cycle contained 1460 such years

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sothic year¹

First recorded in 1820–30; Soth(is) + -ic