equinox

IPA/ˈekwɪnɒks/
KK[ˈikwənˌɑks]IPA/ˈekwɪnɑːks/

equinox — noun

  • equinoxsingular
  • equinoxesplural

1. A spring or autumn date when daylight and darkness last for nearly the same time

1.名詞C2
釋義

A spring or autumn date when daylight and darkness last for nearly the same time because the sun is passing over the equator.

例句

Liam marked the spring equinox on the class garden calendar.

spring equinox on a yearly calendar

During the equinox, the ranger said daylight and darkness were nearly equal.

daylight and darkness nearly equal at the equinox

文法句型

spring/autumn equinox

at the equinox

celebrate/mark the equinox

用法筆記

This sense is the everyday one in calendars, weather reports, and festival talk. It often appears with spring, autumn, vernal, or autumnal.

常見錯誤

❌The longest day of summer is the summer equinox.
✅The longest day of summer is the summer solstice.
💡An equinox is when day and night are nearly equal, not when daylight is longest.

2. In astronomy, one of the two places in the sky where the sun's yearly path cross

2.名詞C2
釋義

In astronomy, one of the two places in the sky where the sun's yearly path crosses the celestial equator.

例句

Christopher found the vernal equinox on the star map with his teacher.

vernal equinox as a point on a star map

Astronomy software marks each equinox where the sun's path crosses the equator.

charting the equinox on the sun's path

文法句型

vernal/autumnal equinox

locate the equinox

equinox on a chart

用法筆記

This sense appears mainly in textbooks, lectures, and star charts. Many learners meet it as spring-point or autumn-point terminology rather than in everyday speech.