Year Definition: 12-Month Period Explained

Meaning 1：12-month period (year)

year 🔊

/jɪr/

A period of time that lasts for 12 months or 365 days (366 in a leap year), the time it takes for the Earth to go around the Sun.

12-month period 🔊

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/twɛlv mʌnθ ˈpɪriəd/

A unit of time equal to 12 months or 365 days (366 in a leap year), based on the Earth's revolution around the Sun. It is used to measure age, duration, and historical events.

📁 Category：Time & Dates 🔖 Level：beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'gear', from Proto-Germanic *jērą, meaning 'year'.

💡 Mnemonic

A year is a full circle around the sun. Remember: 'Y' for 'You go around once'.

📖 Example

My favourite year was 2019, when my whole family went on a trip to the seaside. 🔊 My favourite year was 2019, when my whole family went on a trip to the seaside.

🔗 Collocations

last year – the year before the current one

new year – the start of a calendar year, often celebrated with festivities

year after year – continuously over many years

🔄 Synonyms

twelvemonth (n.) – an old-fashioned term for a year

annum (n.) – formal term for a year, used in finance and contracts

calendar year (n.) – a year as measured by the Gregorian calendar, from January 1 to December 31

🌱 Derivatives

yearly (adj./adv.) – occurring once every year

yearlong (adj.) – lasting for a whole year

year-end (adj./n.) – relating to the end of the financial or calendar year

📖 Cultural Story

The concept of a year is tied to Earth's orbit around the Sun. Ancient Romans originally had a 10-month calendar, later expanded to 12 months by Numa Pompilius. The word 'year' shares roots with Greek 'hōra' and Latin 'annus'.