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Equinox

Time And Calendar
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Either of the two yearly moments when day and night are nearly equal in length. It symbolizes balance, transition, and changing seasons.

Detailed Definition
An equinox occurs twice a year, in spring and autumn, when day and night are nearly equal in length. Its literal balance has made it a potent poetic symbol for equilibrium, crossing, and unstable symmetry. A spring equinox may suggest emergence and new growth, while an autumn equinox may emphasize ripening and decline. Poets often use the event to connect astronomical order with personal turning points, moments when opposing forces briefly meet.
Example
Example in poetry:
At the spring equinox, a poem can balance images of equal day and night before allowing spring light to prevail; An autumn equinox lyric may use the near equality of light and darkness to meditate on aging and change; A poet can make the equinox a hinge in a sequence, with one half moving toward growth and the other toward winter; In an urban poem, commuters crossing a bridge at the equinox may embody the brief balance between opposing seasons
Additional Notes
An equinox occurs in spring or autumn when daylight and darkness are nearly equal. Poets often use it as a figure for balance, hesitation, exchange, or a poised seasonal change.
Other Meanings of “Equinox”
Also Known As
Equal Night Equal Day Vernal Balance Autumnal Balance
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