: either of the two points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator intersects the ecliptic
2
: either of the two times each year (as about March 21 and September 23) when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are everywhere on earth of approximately equal length
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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.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebWith less than two weeks until the autumn equinox on Sept. 22, our temperatures seem to be sliding slowly toward autumn. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2022 The autumn equinox occurs on 23rd September, the same day the sun shifts into Libra. Lisa Stardust, refinery29.com, 28 Aug. 2022 This year, the equinox will take place on Wednesday at 3:20 p.m. After Wednesday, days will start becoming shorter than nights. Rashika Jaipuriar, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Sep. 2021 The report reflects activity from the chart week that started June 25, corresponding with the weekend that followed the summer equinox on June 20, through Labor Day. Geoff Mayfield, Variety, 9 Sep. 2021 Doesn't an equinox at least call for a toast? John G. White, of Ortonville, Minn., is a photographer. John G. White, Star Tribune, 19 June 2021 More than 2,000 years ago, somewhere near the Mediterranean Sea, a mathematician named Eratosthenes used a shadow cast at noon on the equinox to calculate the circumference of the Earth. Joan Meiners, The Arizona Republic, 1 June 2022 The Easter bunny therefore seems to recall these pre-Christian celebrations of spring, heralded by the vernal equinox and personified by the goddess Eostre. Tok Thompson, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Apr. 2022 The Easter Bunny therefore seems to recall these pre-Christian celebrations of spring, heralded by the vernal equinox and personified by the Goddess Eostre. Tok Thompson, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French or Medieval Latin; Anglo-French equinocce, from Medieval Latin equinoxium, alteration of Latin aequinoctium, from aequi- equi- + noct-, nox night — more at night