analemma

A1N1A1L1E1M3M3A1
/ˌæn.əˈlɛm.ə/

noun

A figure-eight curve that results when the Sun's position in the sky is plotted out over the year at the same hour of mean solar time every day.

OriginAncient Greek ἀνάλημμα →
Scrabble 12
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Meanings

nounanalemma (plural analemmas or analemmata)

plural analemmas · plural analemmata

  1. A figure-eight curve that results when the Sun's position in the sky is plotted out over the year at the same hour of mean solar time every day.

    The analemma also records the difference between local solar time and local mean time for each day of the year.

    2002, Timothy G. Feeman, Portraits of the Earth: A Mathematician Looks at Maps, page 108
    2 more examples

    People commonly encounter the equation of time in a strangely distorted figure 8, the analemma (Figure 6.5), frequently seen on terrestrial globes. The analemma is the equation of time plotted against the Sun's declination.

    1996, James B. Kaler, The Ever-Changing Sky: A Guide to the Celestial Sphere (paperback), published 2002, page 169

    The analemma's shape varies by location, but is seldom perfectly balanced.[…] The ends of the analemma represent summer and winter, but if we expect the solstices to be exactly at the ends and the equinoxes to be at the crossing point, we'd be wrong.

    2011, Renna Shesso, Planets for Pagans: Sacred Sites, Ancient Lore, and Magical Stargazing, page 58

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἀνάλημμα“pedestal of a sundial”
  2. Englishanalemma

From Ancient Greek ἀνάλημμα (análēmma, “pedestal of a sundial”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Czech analema
  • analemacurve of the Sun's position in the sky throughout the year
Dutch analemma
  • analemmacurve of the Sun's position in the sky throughout the year
Finnish analemma
  • analemmacurve of the Sun's position in the sky throughout the year
French analemme
  • analemmecurve of the Sun's position in the sky throughout the year
German Analemma
  • Analemmacurve of the Sun's position in the sky throughout the year
Irish anaileime
  • anaileimecurve of the Sun's position in the sky throughout the year
Portuguese analema
  • analemacurve of the Sun's position in the sky throughout the year
Russian анале́мма
  • анале́мма (analémma)curve of the Sun's position in the sky throughout the year
Slovak analema
  • analemacurve of the Sun's position in the sky throughout the year
Cite this entry
APA

analemma. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/analemma

MLA

“analemma.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/analemma. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “analemma,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/analemma.

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