Horary

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈhɔːɹəɹi/

Definitions

1. Pertaining to or occurring every hour, often used to describe something measured or appointed by the hour
2. Connected with hours, especially referring to events or processes that happen on an hourly basis
3. Associated with or based on specific hours, typically indicating a time-related or hourly significance

Etymology: Horary has a second life in astrology that often surprises people who meet it first as a plain adjective meaning "relating to hours." The word comes from Medieval Latin "hōrārius," itself built on Latin "hōra," "hour," so its core sense has stayed remarkably stable for well over a thousand years. What has changed is the company it keeps: the adjective is most often used for things that recur hourly, such as horary chimes, horary measurements, or processes timed to the clock. The word's most distinctive use is in astrology, where a "horary" chart is cast for the exact moment a question is asked, and the astrologer reads the planetary positions at that hour as an answer. The idea is that the hour itself carries meaning, which is why the word stayed tied to the clock even as it moved into a very different field.

Synonyms: hourly, time-related, temporal, clock-related, chronological