n.
Pronunciation: ' yir
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English yere, from Old English g ē ar; akin to Old High German j ā r year, Greek h ō ros year, h ō ra season, hour
Date: before 12th century
1 a : the period of about 365 1 / 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 year s >
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 year s >
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 year s > 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