equinox
noun
ˈe-
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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 Deletter, USA TODAY, 2 Nov. 2024
Fubo tends to see an uptick in subscribers during periods of highly desirable sporting events and the heart of NFL season, and the sports equinox likely has traders betting the company’s strides in adding subscribers will continue.
—Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 1 Nov. 2024
October 31 is a cross-quarter day—the halfway point between September’s equinox and December’s solstice.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
September is an exciting time for astronomical and astrological activity, between the partial lunar eclipse and the autumnal equinox taking place.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 25 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Equinox.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equinox. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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equinox
noun
ˈek-wə-
Latin equinoxium (same meaning), derived from earlier Latin aequi- "equal" and noct-, nox "night" — related to nocturnal
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