Main Entry: year

Pronunciation: \ˈyir\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English yere, from Old English gēar; akin to Old High German jār year, Greek hōros year, hōra season, hour

Date: before 12th century

1 a : the period of about 365¹/₄ solar days required for one revolution of the earth around the sun b : the time required for the apparent sun to return to an arbitrary fixed or moving reference point in the sky c : the time in which a planet completes a revolution about the sun <two Mercury years>
2 a : a cycle in the Gregorian calendar of 365 or 366 days divided into 12 months beginning with January and ending with December b : a period of time equal to one year of the Gregorian calendar but beginning at a different time
3 : a calendar year specified usually by a number <died in the year 1900>
4 plural : a time or era having a special significance <their glory years>
5 a : 12 months that constitute a measure of age or duration <her 21st year> —often used in combination <a year-old child> b plural : age <wise beyond her years>; also : the final stage of the normal life span
6 : a period of time (as the usually 9-month period in which a school is in session) other than a calendar year