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leap second
(redirected from Leap seconds)

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.04 sec.
leap second
n.
A second of time, as measured by an atomic clock, added to or omitted from official timekeeping systems annually to compensate for changes in the rotation of the earth.

leap second  (lp)
A second of time, as measured by an atomic clock, added to or omitted from official timekeeping systems annually to compensate for changes in the rotation of the Earth. See more at coordinated universal time.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.leap second - 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
s, sec, second - 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites


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While I don't like the idea of abandoning leap seconds altogether, I don't think it's unreasonable to let the disparity build up to an hour before making a correction.
Leap seconds have been occurring since 1972 in either January or June - every one to seven or so years as needed to maintain Earth, not man-made clocks, as the ultimate timekeeper, said John Mosley, an astronomer at the Griffith Park Observatory.
 
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