great year
1
9.9
- noun
- Specialized
:
gran año
- In astronomy, a great year represents the period needed for the Earth's axial precession, lasting nearly 26,000 years.
Examples
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The concept of a great year refers to the time taken for the precession of the equinoxes, approximately 25,800 years.
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Many scientists agree that one full great year consists of 25,800 years of Earth's precessional cycle.
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Yeah, we had a great year.
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So last year was a great year, despite some tough challenges.
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Way to go, Chiefs, a great year.
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Hopefully, she will regain her form soon and have another great year.
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He had one great year for Texas; the rest were pretty average.
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Kobe Bryant having a great year, increased efficiency.
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The good news is that this last year has been a great year of progress for Windows Vista in terms of improving application and device compatibility.
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Coming into July, Dempster, a free agent after this season having a great year for a rebuilding club, looked like the player most likely to be traded by the deadline.
Blog text (33)
Synonyms
About 25,800 years when Earth's axis slowly turns and moves the seasons
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'great' conveys largeness or importance so a learner who knows 'great' and 'year' might infer this refers to a very long or significant type of year, but they would not be able to derive the specific astronomical meaning (the ~25,800‑year precession cycle) from the parts alone. Because the phrase names a specialized, technical concept rather than a straightforward compositional meaning, it is partially predictable but not fully transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The noun great year comes from old ideas that the sky is like a very slow clock; after many thousands of years the stars and seasons return to the same positions. So, a great year means 'a very long cycle of time', about 25,800 years.