bissextile day
- noun
- /ˈbɪˌsɛkˌtaɪl deɪ/
- Archaic
:
día bisiesto
- In a leap year, February 29 is known as a bissextile day, adding an extra day to the calendar.
Examples
-
Some people like to celebrate their birthdays only on the bissextile day if they were born on February 29th.
-
In 2020, the bissextile day fell on a Saturday, making the year one day longer.
-
Historically, the bissextile day was added to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year.
-
February 29 is a bissextile day.
-
This year, we celebrate a bissextile day.
-
Some people look forward to the bissextile day because it allows them to celebrate their birthday every four years.
-
The next bissextile day will occur in 2024, when February will have 29 days.
Synonyms
3
2.3
An extra day added to the calendar every four years, February 29
1
3.5
An extra day in February that appears every four years
Surface Forms
Morphology
bissextile + day
The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: if a learner knows 'bissextile' (relating to a leap year) and 'day', they can directly infer it means the leap-year extra day (Feb 29). Note, however, that 'bissextile' is a rare/technical term and so, in practice, B1 learners are unlikely to know that constituent without prior exposure.
Etymology
Bissextile day comes from an old Roman way of adding a day in February. The name shows this: it combines Latin words bis ('twice') and sextus ('sixth') because Romans counted a second sixth day, which is why it means the 'extra day' February 29th.