| astronomical year |
a unit of time equal to the period between one vernal equinox and the next. |
| calendar year |
the period of time that begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. (Cf. fiscal year.) |
| fiscal year |
an accounting period that covers any twelve consecutive months, at the end of which the books are closed and profit or loss is determined. |
| leap year |
a year that has 366 days, which happens every four years. The extra day is February 29. |
| light-year |
a unit of distance equal to the distance light can travel in one year, about six trillion miles. |
| lunar year |
an interval of time equal to twelve lunar months. |
| new year |
a year that has recently begun or will soon begin. [2 definitions] |
| off year |
a year in which production or activity is less or worse than usual. [2 definitions] |
| off-year election |
in the U.S., an election that occurs in a year other than those years during which a President is elected. [2 definitions] |
| sabbatical year |
see "sabbatical leave." [2 definitions] |
| school year |
the annual period from the beginning of a school's classes, usu. in late summer, to the end of classes and examinations, usu. in late spring. |
| seventeen-year locust |
a cicada of the eastern United States that lives as a larva in the soil for thirteen to seventeen years before emerging for a short adult life. |
| sidereal year |
a unit of time equal to the time required for one revolution of the earth around the sun; 365 days, six hours, nine minutes, and 9.54 seconds. |
| solar year |
see "astronomical year." |
| year round |
during the whole year. |
| year-round |
throughout the entire year. |
| year-to-date |
from the beginning of the year to this day. Year-to-date, or YTD, is often written on the stub of a check for wages to show how much money a person has earned in a year up to the date of the check. |