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

The time interval of 27.554 551 days (27d 13h 18m 33.2s), on average, between two successive passages of the Moon through the → perigee of its orbit.

Anomalistic from → anomaly.

Pirâzamini from pirâzamin, → perigee.

One of the periods into which a calendar is divided, ordinarily 12, but in earlier systems 10 (the first Roman calendar under Romulus) or 13 (ancient Iranian calendar using a month intercalation).

→ calendar; → month.

The time interval between two successive passages of the Moon through its → ascending node, 27.212 220 days (27d 5h 5 m 35.8s). Draconic month is important for predicting → eclipses. Also called draconitic month, nodical month.

Draconic, adj. of dragon, → Draco, referring to a mythological dragon for the following reason. Since an eclipse occurs when the Earth, the Sun, and a node are aligned and moreover the Moon is situated near the node, it was believed that a dragon that resided in the node swallowed the Sun or the Moon. → month.

Mâh, → month.
Gowzahri, related to gowzahr, from Mid.Pers. gowzihr "a node of the lunar orbit" [gowzihr sar ("head") = ascending node, gowzihr dumb ("tail") = descending node], also the astrological dragon, from Av. gao-ciθra- "keeping in it the seed of the ox," epithet of the Moon, since according to Iranian mythology the Moon keeps the seed/sperm of bovine animals; from gao- "cow, ox, bull" (Mod.Pers. gâv, Skt. gaus-, Gk. bous "ox," Arm. kov, O.E. cu, PIE *gwou-) + ciθra- "origin, seed, lineage" (Mod.Pers. cehr "origin"). Gowzahr was loaned into Arabic astronomical texts as jawzahr.
Gerehi, adj. of gereh→ node.

1) In several → lunisolar calendars, an → intercalary month employed to preserve a seasonal relationship between the Lunar and Solar cycles. For example, in the → Hebrew calendar the extra month, called Adar Alef, was inserted after Shvat so that the month of Nissan (month of spring) does not begin in winter.
2) In ancient Iranian → solar calendar the additional whole month of 30 days employed every 120 years to compensate for the left-over quarters of days in a calendar year of 365 days (120 years × 0.25 days = 30 days).

M.E. embolisme, from M.L. embolismus "intercalation," from Gk. emballein "to throw into, to insert," from em- "in" + ballein "to throw" (source of the medical term embolism "the obstruction (of an artery, etc.) by a clot of blood, bubble of air, etc."); → month.

Behizak, from Mid.Pers. vihezagig or vihezakik "movable," from vihezag "movement, progression," from vihez- "to move, progress;" mâh, → month.

An intercalary month employed in some calendars to preserve a seasonal relationship between the Lunar and Solar cycles. → embolismic month.

→ leap; → month.

The average time between successive new or full moons. Also called → synodic month, → lunation.

→ lunar; → month.

A period of time based on the revolution of the Moon around the Earth. Several types of months are defined: → anomalistic month; → draconic month; → sidereal month; → synodic month; → tropical month.

O.E. monað, from P.Gmc. *mænoth- (O.N. manaðr, M.Du. manet, Du. maand, O.H.G. manod, Ger. Monat, Goth. menoþs "month"), related to *mænon-, → moon.

Mâh and mâng in Pers. are variants of the same term, the dominant form being mâh, while mâng (Av. from, see below) is used in classical literature as well as in some dialects: Tabari, Kurd. mâng, Laki, Tâti, Taeši mong, Šahmirzâdi, Sangesari mung; Mid.Pers. mâh "moon, month;" O.Pers. māha- "moon, month;" Av. māh- "month, moon," also māwngh-; cf. Skt. mās- "moon, month;" Gk. mene "moon," men "month;" L. mensis "month;" O.C.S. meseci, Lith. menesis "moon, month;" O.Ir. mi, Welsh mis, Bret. miz "month;" O.E. mona; E. moon, month; Ger. Mond, Monat; Du. maan; PIE base *me(n)ses- "moon, month."

Note: In Persian the same term, mâh, is used for two different, but related, concepts: moon and month. This was also the case for other IE languages, as shows the above etymology. However, other IE languages have evolved toward more accuracy by using different forms of the same initial term, as in E. moon / month or Ger. Mond / Monat. The Latin family uses two unrelated words, as in Fr. lune "moon" / mois "month" and Sp. luna / mes. An additional difficulty in present Pers. is that the adj. mâhi not only means "lunar" and "monthly" it also denotes "fish." For the sake of clarity and precision, this dictionary uses mângi for "lunar."

The time interval between two successive passages of the Moon through its ascending node (27.212220 days, i.e., 27 days 5 hours 5 minutes 35.8 seconds). Nodical month is important for predicting eclipses. Also called → draconic month.

Nodical adj. of → node; → month.

Mâh, → month; gerehi, adj. of gereh, → node; gowzahri→ draconic month.

The time taken by the Moon to complete one → revolution around the Earth with respect to a background, → fixed star. The average time is 27.321 661 days (27d 7h 43m 11.5s). Same as → lunar sidereal orbital period.

→ sidereal; → month.

The interval of 29.530 588 days (29d 12h 44m 2.80s), on average, between two successive → new Moons. Same as → lunation.

→ synodic; → month.

The average period of the revolution of the Moon about the Earth with respect to the → vernal equinox, a period of 27.321 582 days (27d 7h 43m 4.7s).

→ tropical; → month.

Mâh, → month; hamugâni, of or pertaining to hamugân, → equinox.