Calendar year

A calendar year is a one-year period that begins on January 1 and ends on December 31, based on the commonly used Gregorian calendar.

Pronunciation

IPA: /ˈkæl.ən.dər jɪr/

Etymology

The term "calendar year" is derived from the Latin word calendarium, which means "account book, register". It was originally used to track the due dates of debts and the term "year" is derived from the Proto-Germanic jēr which means "year, season".

Definition

A calendar year is defined as the period of time that begins on the first day of January and ends on the last day of December. This term is often used for tax and financial reporting purposes. The length of a calendar year is fixed at 365 days, but can be 366 days if it is a leap year.

Related Terms

Fiscal year: A fiscal year is a one-year period chosen by a company or organization for accounting purposes, which may or may not align with the calendar year.
Academic year: An academic year is the period of time in which students attend school or university. It usually begins in the fall and ends in the spring of the following calendar year.
Leap year: A leap year is a year, occurring once every four years, which has 366 days including 29 February as an intercalary day.