vernal equinox

3 definitions found

vernal equinox - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  vernal \ver"nal\ (v[~e]r"nal), a. [L. vernalis, fr. vernus
     vernal, ver spring; akin to Gr. 'e`ar, Skr. vasanta, Icel.
     v[=a]r, and E. Easter, east.]
     1. Of or pertaining to the spring; appearing in the spring;
        as, vernal bloom.
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              And purple all the ground with vernal flowers.
                                                    --Milton.
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     2. Fig.: Belonging to youth, the spring of life.
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              When after the long vernal day of life. --Thomson.
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              And seems it hard thy vernal years
              Few vernal joys can show?             --Keble.
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     Vernal equinox (Astron.), the point of time in each year
        when the sun crosses the equator when proceeding
        northward, about March 21, when day and night are of
        approximately equal duration. The beginning of the Spring
        season.
  
     Vernal grass (Bot.), a low, soft grass (Anthoxanthum  odoratum
        ), producing in the spring narrow spikelike
        panicles, and noted for the delicious fragrance which it
        gives to new-mown hay; -- also called sweet vernal  grass
        . See Illust. in Appendix.
  
     Vernal signs (Astron.), the signs, Aries, Taurus, and
        Gemini, in which the sun appears between the vernal
        equinox and summer solstice.
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vernal equinox - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  vernal equinox
      n 1: March 21 [syn: vernal equinox, March equinox, spring equinox
           ] [ant: September equinox, autumnal equinox,
           fall equinox]
      2: (astronomy) the equinoctial point that lies in the
         constellation of Pisces

vernal equinox - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :

  34 Moby Thesaurus words for "vernal equinox":
     aphelion, apogee, astronomical longitude, autumnal equinox,
     celestial equator, celestial longitude, celestial meridian, circle,
     colures, ecliptic, equator, equinoctial, equinoctial circle,
     equinoctial colure, equinox, galactic longitude,
     geocentric longitude, geodetic longitude, great circle,
     heliocentric longitude, longitude, meridian, orbit, perigee,
     perihelion, period, small circle, solstice, solstitial colure,
     summer solstice, trajectory, winter solstice, zodiac, zone