English

Noun

Metonic cycle ‎(plural Metonic cycles)

1. (astronomy, calendar studies) A particular approximate common multiple of the tropical year and the synodic month; in other words, the 19-year period over which the lunar phases occur on the same dates.

   According to the Metonic cycle, a lunar calendar begins on the same solar date every 19 years.

Synonyms

• enneadecaeteris

Related terms

• (less exact 8-year cycle): octaeteris

Translations