Dictionary term
Almanac
Direct answer
Almanac: An Almanac is a reference work, traditionally issued for a particular year, that organizes calendar information and practical data such as astronomical events, anniversaries, seasonal notes, tables, and civic facts.
An Almanac is a date-organized reference that gathers practical yearly information.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Also appears in
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Aliases
- None listed
- Last updated
- 2026-07-15
Quick reference
- Use when
- Use Almanac for a curated reference organized around time, and identify the edition, geographic scope, methods, and sources behind claims that can change.
- Do not use it for
- An almanac is a format, not a guarantee of accuracy; historical weather, health, and divination claims require source criticism and clear labeling.
- Reference category
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Related terms
- Astronomical Almanac, Nautical Almanac, Astrolabe, Armillary Sphere
The story behind Almanac
Printed almanacs circulated widely for centuries, combining calendars and astronomical tables with regional, commercial, literary, medical, religious, or political material.
Almanac in spiritual tradition
At its best, an almanac makes recurring time useful while preserving curiosity about how people have understood the year.
The Great Almanac frames Almanac with educational restraint. Mystical or symbolic language may be meaningful, but it should not be exaggerated into certainty, panic, or permission to ignore ordinary responsibility.
Almanac in the Bible
This is a factual astronomy, calendar, Earth-science, cultural, or historical reference. It can support wonder at the created order without becoming a claim of fate, worship, or private revelation.
Almanac in numerology
Almanac is not a numerology claim. Any numbers attached to it should retain their ordinary scientific, calendrical, navigational, or historical meaning unless a separate symbolic interpretation is clearly labeled.
Why Almanac matters
The form brings many kinds of time-sensitive knowledge into one navigable place and is the historical model for a broad, living annual guide.
Example in a reading: A modern almanac page might pair a dated sky event with local rise times, a calendar explanation, and links to the underlying observatory data.
Interpretive caution: An almanac is a format, not a guarantee of accuracy; historical weather, health, and divination claims require source criticism and clear labeling.
How Almanac is used in a reading
Use Almanac for a curated reference organized around time, and identify the edition, geographic scope, methods, and sources behind claims that can change.
Where interpretation stops
Almanac is presented as sourced astronomy, calendrical, Earth-science, cultural, or instrument-history reference. Definitions should distinguish measured phenomena from civil convention and historical interpretation, preserve location and time dependencies, and avoid turning factual sky data into a deterministic personal claim.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- Library of Congress: American Almanacs, Seventeenth through Nineteenth Centuries - Authoritative collection context for the history and breadth of printed American almanacs.
- U.S. Naval Observatory: Astronomical and Navigational Almanacs - Official description of current Astronomical Almanac and Nautical Almanac publications.
The page starts with a direct definition, then separates use, example, caution, spiritual meaning, and historical context. For astrology, occult, demonology, curse, and spiritual warfare terms, the editorial rule is to explain the term without making fear-based, fatalistic, medical, legal, financial, or ritual-instruction claims.
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These related entries help place Almanac inside a wider reference cluster instead of leaving it as a standalone keyword.
