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From Middle English yeer, yere, from Old English ġēr, ġēar (year), from Proto-Germanic *jērą (year), from Proto-Indo-European *yōro-, *yeh₁ro- (year, spring), *yeh₁r-. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Jier (year), West Frisian jier (year), Dutch jaar (year), German Jahr (year), Norwegian and Swedish år (year), Icelandic ár (year), Polish jary (springtime), Serbo-Croatian jār (spring), Ancient Greek ὥρα (hṓra, year, season), and Avestan 𐬫𐬁𐬭𐬆 (yārə, year).



year (plural years)

  1. A solar year, the time it takes the Earth to complete one revolution of the Sun (between 365.24 and 365.26 days depending on the point of reference).
  2. (by extension) The time it takes for any astronomical object (such as a planet, dwarf planet, small Solar System body, or comet) in direct orbit around a star (such as the Sun) to make one revolution around the star.
  3. A period between set dates that mark a year, from January 1 to December 31 by the Gregorian calendar, from Tishiri 1 to Elul 29 by the Jewish calendar, and from Muharram 1 to Dhu al-Hijjah 29 or 30 by the Islamic calendar.
    I was born in the year 1950.
    This Chinese year is the year of the Rooster.
  5. (sciences) A Julian year, exactly 365.25 days, represented by "a".
  6. A level or grade in school or college.
    Every second-year student must select an area of specialization.
  7. The proportion of a creature's lifespan equivalent to one year of an average human lifespan (see also dog year).
    Geneticists have created baker's yeast that can live to 800 in yeast years.




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Noun 2Edit


  1. eye dialect spelling of here, hear, &c.