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intercalary

Syllabification: (in·ter·ca·lar·y)
Pronunciation: /inˈtərkəˌlerē, ˌintərˈkalərē/
Definition of intercalary

adjective

  • 1(of a day or a month) inserted in the calendar to harmonize it with the solar year, e.g., February 29 in leap years.
  • of the nature of an insertion:elaborate intercalary notes and footnotes
  • 2 Botany (of the meristem of a plant) located between its daughter cells, especially (in a grass) at or near the base of a leaf.

Origin:

early 17th century: from Latin intercalarius, from intercalare (see intercalate)

intercalary in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of intercalary in the British & World English dictionary

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