equinox
noun
ˈe-
Did you know?
Equinox and the Seasons
Equinox descends from aequus, the Latin word for "equal" or "even," and nox, the Latin word for "night"—a fitting history for a word that describes days of the year when the daytime and nighttime are equal in length. In the northern hemisphere, the vernal equinox marks the first day of spring and occurs when the sun moves north across the equator. (Vernal comes from the Latin word ver, meaning "spring.") The autumnal equinox marks the first day of autumn in the northern hemisphere and occurs when the sun crosses the equator going south. In contrast, a solstice is either of the two moments in the year when the sun's apparent path is farthest north or south from the equator.
Examples of equinox in a Sentence
Emily Newhouse, Allure, 5 Apr. 2024
Easter is observed on the first Sunday following the Paschal full moon, which is the first full moon on or after the spring equinox.
—USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024
The date is different every year and falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox, also called the Paschal Full Moon.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 20 Mar. 2024
The astrologer adds that Aries is the first sign of the zodiac and aligns with the spring equinox, which, this year, is on March 19.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024
Also called the March equinox, the spring equinox occurs when the northern and southern hemispheres neither tilt toward or away from the sun, the Old Farmer’s Almanac, a weather and gardening guide that’s been publishing since 1782, said on its website.
—Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 7 Mar. 2024
March is a month of transition: no longer truly winter, but not quite spring until the equinox around March 20.
—Jenna Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024
The sanctuary will be officially dedicated Sept. 20 — just two days before another celestial event, the autumnal equinox, when day and night are equally long.
—Detroit Free Press, 8 Apr. 2024
That year, France implemented the Gregorian calendar, shifting the start of the New Year from the spring equinox, which usually falls around April 1, to January 1.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'equinox.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to equinox
Dictionary Entries Near equinox
Cite this Entry
“Equinox.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equinox. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
equinox
noun
ˈek-wə-
Latin equinoxium (same meaning), derived from earlier Latin aequi- "equal" and noct-, nox "night" — related to nocturnal
Share