leap second

noun

A second of time added to the year occasionally to compensate for variation in the rate of Earth's rotation relative to the absolute standards of time.

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Meanings

nounleap second (plural leap seconds)

plural leap seconds

  1. A second of time added to the year occasionally to compensate for variation in the rate of Earth's rotation relative to the absolute standards of time.

Origin

1971; derived from the terminology for leap day/leap year.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 閏秒 /闰秒
  • 閏秒 /闰秒 (rùnmiǎo)a second of time added to the year occasionally to compensate for variation in the rate of Earth's rotation relative to the absolute standards of time
Finnish karkaussekunti
  • karkaussekuntia second of time added to the year occasionally to compensate for variation in the rate of Earth's rotation relative to the absolute standards of time
German Schaltsekunde
  • Schaltsekundea second of time added to the year occasionally to compensate for variation in the rate of Earth's rotation relative to the absolute standards of time
Hungarian szökőmásodperc
  • szökőmásodperca second of time added to the year occasionally to compensate for variation in the rate of Earth's rotation relative to the absolute standards of time
Italian secondo intercalare
  • secondo intercalarea second of time added to the year occasionally to compensate for variation in the rate of Earth's rotation relative to the absolute standards of time
Polish sekunda przestępna
  • sekunda przestępnaa second of time added to the year occasionally to compensate for variation in the rate of Earth's rotation relative to the absolute standards of time
Russian корректировочная секу́нда, секу́нда координации
  • корректировочная секу́нда (korrektirovočnaja sekúnda)a second of time added to the year occasionally to compensate for variation in the rate of Earth's rotation relative to the absolute standards of time
  • секу́нда координации (sekúnda koordinacii)a second of time added to the year occasionally to compensate for variation in the rate of Earth's rotation relative to the absolute standards of time
  • високосная секу́нда (visokosnaja sekúnda)a second of time added to the year occasionally to compensate for variation in the rate of Earth's rotation relative to the absolute standards of time
Spanish segundo intercalar
  • segundo intercalara second of time added to the year occasionally to compensate for variation in the rate of Earth's rotation relative to the absolute standards of time
Swedish skottsekund
  • skottsekunda second of time added to the year occasionally to compensate for variation in the rate of Earth's rotation relative to the absolute standards of time
Cite this entry
APA

leap second. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/leap%20second

MLA

“leap second.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/leap%20second. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “leap second,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/leap%20second.

Source: leap second on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.