“月亮周期;月相周期”:指月亮从新月开始,经历上弦月、满月、下弦月,再回到新月的循环过程。常指“朔望月”,平均约 29.5 天。(在生态、潮汐等语境中,也可泛指受月亮影响的周期性变化。)
/ˈluːnər ˈsaɪkəl/
The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days.
月相周期大约是29.5天。
Many coastal animals time their breeding to the lunar cycle, because moonlight and tides change predictably throughout the month.
许多沿海动物会把繁殖时间与月相周期同步,因为月光与潮汐在整个月里会以可预测的方式变化。
lunar 来自拉丁语 lūna(月亮);cycle 源自希腊语 kyklos(圆、循环),经拉丁语/法语进入英语。合起来即“与月亮相关的循环”。