An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

Consisting of twelve → years.

From L. duodecennium, from duodecim "tweleve," from duo, → two, + decem, → ten, + annus "year," → annual.

Davâzdahsâli, from davâzdah "twelve," from do, → two, + dah, → ten + sâl, → year.

A → lunisolar calendar in which the years are named after each of the following twelve animals: rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, cock, dog, pig. An animal presides over one year in the twelve-year cycle, which is then repeated. The calendar was/is mainly used by central Asian cultures (Khotanese, Sogdians, Buddhists, Kucheans, Mongols, and Chinese). It was also used in Iran after the Mongol invasion in the thirteenth century.

→ duodecennial; → animal; → calendar.