Jul"ian (?; 277) a. [L. Julianus, fr. Julius. Cf. July, Gillian.]
Relating to, or derived from, Julius Cæsar.
Julian calendar, the calendar as adjusted by Julius Cæsar, in
which the year was made
to consist of 365 days, each fourth year having 366 days. -- Julian epoch, the epoch of
the commencement of the Julian
calendar, or 46 b. c. -- Julian period, a chronological period of 7,980 years, combining the solar, lunar, and indiction cycles (28 x 19 x 15 = 7,980), being reckoned from the year 4713 B. C., when the first years of these several cycles would coincide, so that if any year of the period be divided by 28, 19, or 15, the remainder will be the year of the corresponding cycle. The Julian period was proposed by Scaliger, to remove or avoid ambiguities in chronological
dates, and was so named because composed of Julian years. -- Julian year, the year of 365
days, 6 hours, adopted in the Julian
calendar, and in use until
superseded by the Gregorian year, as established in the reformed or Gregorian calendar.
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