What does sexagenary mean?
Sexagenary is an adjective describing something that relates to sixty or is organized into sixty equal parts. Its best-known use is in the term sexagenary cycle, a 60-year cycle that has long been important in Chinese calendrical and historical traditions. In astronomy, sexagenary terminology also appears in descriptions of cycles and divisions based on sixty units. The word is formal and technical rather than everyday: most speakers would say sixty-year, sixty-part, or sixtyfold in ordinary contexts, reserving sexagenary for specialized discussion. Its association with older calendars and long historical periods gives it a scholarly, traditional character. Derived from the Latin word for sixty, it belongs to a family of terms including sexagenal and sexagesimal, though these related words have distinct distributions and uses.
Relating to sixty, consisting of sixty equal parts, or involving a cycle of sixty years.
"The inscription records dates according to a sexagenary cycle."
Specialized in chronology, astronomy, and mathematics; often used with cycle, year, or period.
A cycle or period consisting of sixty years.
"The paired years were believed to bring good fortune throughout the sexagenary."
Less common than the adjective and usually encountered in historical or calendrical writing.
Plural is possible when referring to more than one sexagenary cycle, though the noun is uncommon.
"The scholar compared two sexagenaries recorded in different calendars."
The familiar 60-year cycle used in traditional Chinese calendrical reckoning is one of the best-known applications of this word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sexagenary come from?
The adjective comes through Medieval Latin from Latin sexagenarius, meaning “of sixty” or “sixty-year,” ultimately related to sexaginta, “sixty.” The same numerical root appears in terms such as sexagenal, sexagenarian, and sexagesimal. English usage is especially associated with calendrical and astronomical systems that divide time or measurement into cycles of sixty.
How sexagenary is actually used
This is a formal and specialized term, especially used in astronomy, chronology, and mathematics. It is more precise than simply saying 'sixty-year' when describing a cyclical or divisible system.
Easily confused with sexagenary
Sexagenary means relating to sixty or a cycle of sixty, whereas sexagesimal means relating to sixtieth parts or a sixtieth division.