Word.ws English Dictionary

equinoctial

/ˌɛk.wɪˈnɒk.ʃəl/US/ˌiː.kwəˈnɑk.ʃəl/

equinoctial adjective: of or relating to the spring or autumnal equinox.

Adjective

equinoctial (not comparable)

  1. Of or relating to the spring or autumnal equinox.
    • an equinoctial gale or storm, i.e. one happening at or near the time of the equinox, in any part of the world
    • In the Assyrian Standard [...] we see the figure of an Archer above that of a galloping Bull, and in another Assyrian Standard, that of Sargon II., we find not only the Archer and the Bull, the two constellations which 4,000 b.c. marked the equinoctial colure, but we may also clearly trace a...1903, Emmeline M. Plunket, Ancient Calendars and Constellations, London: John Murray, page 44
  2. Of or relating to the celestial equator.
    Synonyms:
    equatorial
  3. (uncommon) Equatorial: of or relating to the equator of the Earth.
  4. Of flowers: that open and close at particular times of day.

Noun

equinoctial (plural equinoctials)

  1. The great circle midway between the celestial poles; the celestial equator.
    • The scorching beams under the equinoctial, or extremity of cold within the circle Arctic, […] cannot avoid or expel this heat, fury, and rage of mortal men.1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition III...
  2. (rare) The terrestrial equator.
    • Nor is this vveather rare about the Æquinoctiall; by Mariners termed the Tornadoes: and tis ſo vncertaine, that novv you ſhall haue a quiet breath and gale, and ſuddenly an vnexpected violent guſt, and ſtorme, ſo fierce, that many times the ſhips vvill feele no helme.1634, T[homas] H[erbert], “An Itinerarie of Some Yeares Trauaile, through Diuers Parts of Asia and Afrike, with the Description of the Orientall Indies, and Some Iles Adjacent. Especially the...
    • O conſider my caſe, moſt blisfull Queen, […] Diſpell thoſe Clouds which hover 'twixt my King and his higheſt Counſell, […] that my great Law-making Court be forced to turn no more to polemicall Committees, […] but that they may come again to the old Parliamentary Rode, To the path of their...1645, James Howell, “England’s Tears, for the Present Wars, which for the Nature of the Quarrel, the Quality of the Strength, the Diversity of Battels, Skirmishes, Encounters, and Sieges, (Happened...
  3. An equinoctial gale.
    • Heavy with storm the coast-lines grew, / And sharp the equinoctials blew1868, The Family Herald: A Domestic Magazine of Useful Information and Amusement, page 209

Synonyms of equinoctial

Forms of equinoctial

Adjective
alternative formæquinoctial
Noun
pluralequinoctials

Origin of equinoctial

Inherited from Middle English equinoctial, equinoccial, equinoxial, from Old French equinoxial, from Latin (circulus) aequinoctiālis, from aequinoctium + -alis.

Words formed from equinoctial

Phrases with equinoctial

Questions about equinoctial

What does equinoctial mean?
Equinoctial means of or relating to the spring or autumnal equinox.
What part of speech is equinoctial?
Equinoctial can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce equinoctial?
Equinoctial is pronounced /ˌɛk.wɪˈnɒk.ʃəl/ (UK).

Words near equinoctial in the dictionary

  1. equinity
  2. equinocandin
  3. equinoces
  4. equinoctal
  5. equinoctes
  6. equinoctial
  7. equinoctial circle
  8. equinoctial circles
  9. equinoctial colure
  10. equinoctial colures
  11. equinoctial line

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: equinoctial (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-equinoctial.wav.

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