solar month

5.8

A period of about one twelfth of a year that comes from Earth's movement around the Sun

noun
/ˈsoʊlər mʌnθ/

Specialized

: mes solar

In astronomy, a solar month helps divide the year into equal segments for observation.

Examples

The ancient Egyptians used a solar month to align their calendar with the seasons.
A solar month lasts about 30.44 days.
A solar month is longer than a lunar month because it is based on the Earth's orbit around the Sun.
February is the only month that is shorter than a solar month.
Each year consists of twelve solar months that align with the Earth's orbit around the Sun.
A solar month is about 30 or 31 days long, depending on the specific month in the calendar.
Farmers plan their planting schedules according to the cycle of the solar months and their corresponding seasons.

Synonyms

month

vssolar month

∞ 1.0

A period of about four weeks or one of the twelve parts of the year

is defined astronomically by Earth's position around the Sun

calendar month

vssolar month

2 1.0

A period from the first to the last day of a named month

is based on Earth's position relative to the Sun rather than fixed calendar dates

Surface Forms

solar month singular

solar months plural

Morphology

solar + month

The basic sense — a month defined by the Sun — is directly and compositionally derivable from 'solar' (pertaining to the Sun) + 'month' (a time span), so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand it denotes a month measured by the Sun/solar year. Although the precise technical length (~30.44 days) is specialised knowledge, the core meaning is fully transparent and follows ordinary adjective+noun composition.

Etymology

Solar month comes from the words solar, meaning the 'Sun', and month, meaning a time period. It pictures the Sun moving through one of the twelve parts of the year, so a solar month is a length of time based on the Sun and the seasons rather than the Moon.