Definition

1. Noun:
   • The extra day added to the calendar in a leap year: "Leap day" specifically refers to the intercalary day inserted to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical or seasonal year. In the Gregorian calendar, this is February 29.

Usage

• "Leap day" is used to denote the specific date that occurs only in a leap year.
• It is a proper noun and is often capitalized when referring to the specific date: Leap Day.

Examples

• Noun:
  • My sister was born on leap day, so she only celebrates her actual birthday every four years.
  • The company has a special policy for employees born on Leap Day.

Advanced Usage

• "Leap day baby": a person born on February 29.
  • As a leap day baby, he enjoys explaining his unique birthday.
• "Leap day proposal": a cultural tradition, particularly in some European folklore, where women are encouraged to propose marriage to men on February 29.
  • According to an old Irish legend, a leap day proposal could not be refused.

Variants and Related Words

• Leap year (n): a year, occurring once every four years, which has 366 days including February 29 as an intercalary day.
  • 2024 was a leap year.
• Intercalary day (n): a technical term for a day inserted into a calendar to correct its drift; leap day is an intercalary day.
  • The intercalary day ensures the calendar remains aligned with the Earth's orbit.

Synonyms

• Bissextile day: an older, less common term for the extra day in a leap year.

Related Phrases

• "Once in a blue moon": (idiom) very rarely. This idiom is sometimes associated with the rarity of leap day, though it originally refers to an astronomical event.
  • We only see each other once in a blue moon, like on leap day!

Noun

1. the name of the day that is added during a leap year