Leap Year - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition leap-year

Definition :

Leap-year, otherwise called bissextile [fr. bis and sextilis (dies)] from its introduction to make up the loss of the six hours by which the course of the sun annually exceeds the 365 days allowed for.

Leap-year, which happens every fourth year, thus consists of 366 days instead of 365 by the addition of a day to the 28 days in other years of February. The day thus added was by Julius C'sar appointed to be the day before the 24th of February, which among the Romans was the sixth of the calends, and which on this occasion was reckoned twice, hence the term bissextile.