Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A 15-year cycle used as a chronological unit in ancient Rome and incorporated in some medieval systems.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A declaration; proclamation.
- n. A fiscal period of fifteen years, established by Constantine the Great after the reorganization of the Roman Empire, being the term during which the annual tax on real property was paid on the basis of a valuation made and proclaimed at the beginning of each quindecennial period. This became a common and convenient means for dating ordinary transactions.
- n. Hence In chronology, a year bearing a number, or the number attached to the year, showing its place in a cycle of fifteen years, counting from a. d. 313. To find the indiction, add 3 to the number of the year in the vulgar era, and divide by 15; the remainder is the indiction, or, if there is no remainder, the indiction is 15. There were three varieties, differing only in the commencement of the year: the original Greek or Constantinopolitan, reckoned from September 1st of what we consider the previous year; the Roman or Pontifical (a bad designation, since it was not used preferentially in the bulls of the popes), beginning with the civil year, January 1st, December 25th, or March 25th; and the Constantinian, Imperial, or Cævarean (due to a blunder of the Venerable Bede), beginning September 24th.
Wiktionary
- n. historical A fiscal period of fifteen years, instituted by Constantine in 313 CE (but counting from 1st September 312), used throughout the Middle Ages as a way of dating events, documents etc.
- n. A declaration or official announcement.
- n. historical The decree made by Roman Emperors which fixed the property tax for the next fifteen years.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. obsolete Declaration; proclamation; public notice or appointment.
- n. A cycle of fifteen years.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a 15-year cycle used as a chronological unit in ancient Rome and adopted in some medieval kingdoms
Etymologies
- From Old French indiction or its source, Latin indictiōnem, accusative singular of indictiō, from indicere, present active infinitive of indicō. (Wiktionary)
- Middle English indiccioun, from Late Latin indictiō, indictiōn-, proclamation, period of 15 years, from Latin indictus, past participle of indīcere, to proclaim : in-, intensive pref.; see in-2 + dīcere, to say; see deik- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“And by a very easy connection of ideas, the word indiction was transferred to the measure of tribute which it prescribed, and to the annual term which it allowed for the payment.”
History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 2
“Benedictines.] * It does not appear that the establishment of the indiction is to be at tributed to Constantine: it existed before he had been created Augustus at Rome, and the remission granted by him to the city of Autun is the proof.”
“The indiction was a cycle of fifteen years, the first of these cycles being conceived to have started at a point three years before the beginning of the present Christian Era.”
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 4: Clandestinity-Diocesan Chancery
“Jon Stewart Makes Jim Cramer Exhibit A in Indicting Wall Street Bankers" is there a word "indiction", my dictionary has it meaning something other then past tense of "indict”
“Also, history shows that predator populations are a good indiction of food source.”
“If your spelling and grammar are any indiction of your intelligence level, you are saying more about yourself than abut the subject. phillip Marlowe”
“Buice said he saw no indiction of remorse on Adkisson's part.”
“Paragraph 170 - The year 1065, the third indiction.”
“Paragraph 213 - The year 1085, the eight indiction.”
“Paragraph 212 - The year 1084, the seventh indiction.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘indiction’.
-
A Matter Of Time
Favorite time-related words.
vespertine, twilight, gloaming, eftsoon, eventide, dawn, eos, dusk, witching hour, ephemeral, candlemark, autumnal and 122 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for indiction.
Comments
No comments yet...
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.