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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

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English

year

/jɪə/
A period of time akin to the time taken for the Earth to undergo a full cycle of seasons.

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    Origin

    From Middle English yeer, yere, from Old English ġēar (“year”), from Proto-West Germanic *jār, from Proto-Germanic *jērą (“year”), from Proto-Indo-European *yóh₁r̥ (“year, spring”). Doublet of hora and hour.

    Cognates

    Cognate with Scots year (“year”), North Frisian djooar, iir, Jaar, jeer, juar, jäär (“year”), Saterland Frisian Jíer (“year”), West Frisian jier (“year”), Bavarian Joahr, Jåar, Jåhr (“year”), Cimbrian djar, jaar (“year”), Dutch jaar (“year”), German Jahr (“year”), Limburgish jaor, Johr, Joër (“year”), Low German Johr, Jåhr (“year”), Luxembourgish Joer (“year”), Mòcheno jor (“year”), Swabian Johr (“year”), Vilamovian jür (“year”), West Flemish joar (“year”), Yiddish יאָר (yor), יאָהר (yohr, “year”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish år (“year”), Faroese and Icelandic ár (“year”), Gothic 𐌾𐌴𐍂 (jēr, “year”).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishyeer
      • inheritedOld Englishġēar “year”
        • inheritedProto-West Germanic*jār
          • inheritedProto-Germanic*jērą “year”
            • derivedProto-Indo-European*yóh₁r̥ “year”
    • rootProto-Indo-European*(H)yeh₁- “to throw, impel”

    Related: English hour (doublet), English hora (doublet), Scots year, North Frisian djooar, Saterland Frisian Jíer, West Frisian jier, Bavarian Joahr, Cimbrian djar, Dutch jaar, German Jahr, Limburgish jaor, Low German Johr, Luxembourgish Joer, Mòcheno jor, Swabian Johr, Vilamovian jür, West Flemish joar, Yiddish יאָר, da,nb,nn,sv år, fo,is ár, Gothic 𐌾𐌴𐍂

    Words built on it: New Year, one-year-old, half-year

    Meanings

    noun
    1. A period of time akin to the time taken for the Earth to undergo a full cycle of seasons.
    2. The time taken for the Earth to return to the same position along the ecliptic, completing a full cycle of seasons; a tropical year or solar year.
    3. The time taken for the Earth to orbit the Sun with respect to the fixed stars; a sidereal year.
    4. The length of twelve lunations; the time taken for any moon phase to happen twelve times; a lunar year.
    5. The length of a year as marked by a calendar, 365 or 366 days in the Gregorian calendar; a calendar year.
    6. The mean length of a calendar year in the Julian calendar, that is, 365.25 solar days; a Julian year.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: year