bissextile

American  

[bahy-seks-til, -tahyl, bih-] / baɪˈsɛks tɪl, -taɪl, bɪ- /

adjective

1. containing or noting the extra day of leap year.

   The years 1980 and 1984 were both bissextile.

---

noun

1. leap year.

bissextile British  

/ bɪˈsɛkstaɪl /

adjective

1. (of a month or year) containing the extra day of a leap year

---

noun

1. a rare name for leap year

Etymology

Origin of bissextile

1585–95; < Late Latin bi ( s ) sextilis ( annus ) leap year, equivalent to bissext ( us ) bissextus + -ilis -ile

Example Sentences

Respecting the bissextile, I have already manifested my opinion in the chronology of the Indians.

From Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, Vol. I. by Stephens, John L.

I refer you to Montucla, if you have any doubt about the Egyptian year being of 365 days without bissextile of any kind.

From Personal Recollections, from Early Life to Old Age, of Mary Somerville by Somerville, Mary

In the same bissextile year was held the solemn ceremony of piercing the ears of the girls and young men, it being reserved for the high-priest to execute that function, assisted by godfathers and godmothers.

From Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, Vol. I. by Stephens, John L.

When an extra day was put in every fourth year before the 24th, this was a second 6th day, and was therefore called bissexto-kalendas, whence we get the name bissextile, applied to leap year.

From Astronomical Myths Based on Flammarions's History of the Heavens by Blake, John F.

Every year that can be divided by four without a remainder is bissextile or leap year, with the exception that one leap year is cut off in the century.

From Amusements in Mathematics by Dudeney, Henry Ernest