Almanac

How to spell almanac

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce almanac

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does almanac mean?

1. nounAn annual publication listing dates, calendars, astronomical data, weather predictions, and assorted reference facts.

Almanac in a sentence

• The farmer checked the almanac before deciding when to plant his crops.

• A tattered sports almanac on the shelf listed every champion since 1900.

Where does almanac come from?

Language of origin: Arabic

Almanac entered English in the late 1300s through Medieval Latin almanachus, a word for a permanent calendar or set of astronomical tables. Beyond Latin its trail grows uncertain, and most authorities admit the ultimate source is unclear. The most commonly suggested origin is the Arabic al-manakh, where al- is simply the definite article 'the', though scholars disagree about what the second element actually meant, with 'climate' and 'calendar' both proposed. Whatever the source, the early sense was a table predicting the positions of the sun, moon, and stars throughout the year, which later broadened into the familiar yearly book of dates, weather forecasts, tides, and miscellaneous facts. The lingering Arabic al- helps explain why the word begins with a single 'l' rather than the doubled letters writers sometimes expect, and the unstressed middle vowel is the schwa that makes the spelling fragile.

How the word is built

• al- (from Arabic al-: 'the')
• manac (root of disputed meaning, possibly relating to calendar or climate)

British and American spelling

Almanac is the American spelling. British English spells it almanack.