Leap Second (Noun)
Meaning
A second (as measured by an atomic clock) added to or subtracted from Greenwich Mean Time in order to compensate for slowing in the Earth's rotation.
Classification
Nouns denoting time and temporal relations.
Examples
- The extra second added to UTC is called a leap second which will account for the slowing down of the Earth's rotation.
- On June 30, 2015, a single leap second was added to the atomic clock that matches the Earth's rotation.
- The purpose of the leap second is to account for the irregular rotation period of the Earth and keep the two types of time in sync.
- Leap seconds can be either positive or negative, however all leap seconds have been positive up to this point.
- Because the Earth's rotation is constantly slowing, leap seconds are necessary to realign the current time with the standard.