Intercalary

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌɪnt.ɚˈkæl.ɚ.i/

Definitions

1. Inserted into a calendar to harmonize it with the solar year, such as a leap day or an extra month
2. Inserted in a calendar to adjust for discrepancies in the solar year, this term refers to days or months added to standard timekeeping practices
3. Relating to additional days or months included in a calendar, it serves to sync time measurements with the solar cycle

Etymology: The Roman calendar had a clever mechanism for keeping its months in step with the seasons, and the word comes straight from it. The Romans inserted an extra stretch of days, called the "intercalaris" period, between the end of February and the start of March. The verb "intercalare" meant "to call out between" or "to proclaim in between," and it was the job of priests to announce when these extra days were to be added. The word reached English as a technical term for that practice. Its core sense is simple: a day or month that is inserted into the calendar to bring the year back into line with the sun. The Latin verb is built from "inter," meaning "among" or "between," and "calare," meaning "to call out" or "proclaim," so the literal picture is of a crier announcing something into the gap in the calendar.

Synonyms: inserted, intervening, interstitial