intercalary Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective satellite having a day or month inserted to make the calendar year correspond to the solar year: "Feb. 29 is an intercalary day"
    • a leap year is an intercalary year

WordNet

In*ter"ca*la*ry adjective
Etymology
L. intercalaris, intercalarius: cf. F. intercalaire. See Intercalate.
Definitions
  1. (Chron.) Inserted or introduced among others in the calendar; as, an intercalary month, day, etc.; -- now applied particularly to the odd day (Feb. 29) inserted in the calendar of leap year. See Bissextile, n.
  2. Introduced or inserted among others; additional; supernumerary. "Intercalary spines." Owen.
    This intercalary line . . . is made the last of a triplet. Beattie.
    Mayne.

Webster 1913