Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A 15-year cycle used as a chronological unit in ancient Rome and incorporated in some medieval systems.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A declaration; proclamation.
  • noun 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.
  • noun 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.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete Declaration; proclamation; public notice or appointment.
  • noun A cycle of fifteen years.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun 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.
  • noun A declaration or official announcement.
  • noun historical The decree made by Roman Emperors which fixed the property tax for the next fifteen years.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a 15-year cycle used as a chronological unit in ancient Rome and adopted in some medieval kingdoms

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[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– + dīcere, to say; see deik- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French indiction or its source, Latin indictiōnem, accusative singular of indictiō, from indicere, present active infinitive of indicō.

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