ahemeral

A1H4E1M3E1R1A1L1
/eɪˈhɛməɹəl/

adjective

Cyclical, with a period not equal to 24 hours.

OriginEnglish hemeral ← Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) ← Proto-Hellenic *ə- →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

adjectiveahemeral (not comparable)
  1. not comparablebiologyCyclical, with a period not equal to 24 hours.

    Photostimulation at 22 weeks of age was done with either a normal, hemeral day (14 hours of light; 10 hours of darkness) or a long ahemeral day (14 hours of light; 14 hours of darkness).

    2003, Frank Edwin Robinson, Gaylene Marie Fasenko, Robert Allen Renema, New Developments in Reproduction and Incubation of Broiler Chickens, page 116
    1 more example

    Short ahemeral cycles have typically been made up of 14L:7D [L=light; D=dark], 14L:8D or 14L:9D photoschedules and have been used by poultry breeders who wish to identify hens with rapid rates of follicular maturation.

    1996, Robert J. Etches, Reproduction in Poultry, page 273

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Hellenic*ə-
  4. Ancient Greekἀ- (a-)
  5. Englisha-
  6. Englishhemeral
  7. Englishahemeral

From a- + hemeral.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

ahemeral. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ahemeral

MLA

“ahemeral.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ahemeral. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ahemeral,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ahemeral.

Source: ahemeral on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.