Epagomenic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to or denoting intercalary days added to a calendar year to make the total number of days match the solar year
2. Referring to extra days that are added to a calendar in order to reconcile the discrepancy between the lunar and solar years
3. Connected with days inserted beyond the usual calendar to align the year with astronomical cycles

Etymology: "Epagomenic" describes the five extra days the ancient Egyptian calendar added to its twelve 30-day months to make a year of 365 days. The Greek noun "epagomena" means "added days," from "epagein," to bring in or add, and the English adjective is simply that noun with the suffix "-ic" attached, meaning "relating to." The Egyptians called these days the "epagomenal" days in Greek sources, and the term came to be used by classical and later scholars writing about the Egyptian year. Because the ancient calendar had no leap-year correction, its 365-day year slowly drifted against the seasons, and the epagomenal days were the fixed block that completed each cycle.