Meaning of embolismic | Babel Free

Definitions

Relating to embolism or intercalation.

not-comparable

Equivalents

Examples

“an embolismic year or month”

“To predict⟳ Easter computists needed to develop⟳ a cyclical table based around a common multiple m of solar years and lunar months: that is, one in which a whole number⟳ of solar years equated to a whole number⟳ of lunar months. The general idea was that m years after some reference year, Easter will be on the same date⟳ as in the reference year itself because a whole number⟳ of lunar months will have⟳ passed. The number⟳ of lunar months in those m solar years wouldn't be an exact multiple of 12 (since there are more lunar months than solar ones), so the period wouldn't equate to a whole number⟳ of lunar years. For this reason⟳, an extra month, called an embolismic month, was added to some years in the lunar calendar to make⟳ sure that years counted in lunar months would not gradually creep⟳ more and more ahead of years counted in solar months.”

CEFR level