Dictionary term
Neap Tide
Direct answer
Neap Tide: A Neap Tide is a period of smaller tidal range near first- and third-quarter Moon when lunar and solar tide-producing forces act roughly at right angles.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Also appears in
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Aliases
- None listed
- Last updated
- 2026-07-15
Quick reference
- Use when
- Use Neap Tide for general timing context and pair it with official station predictions for navigation or coastal decisions.
- Do not use it for
- Do not call neap tides universally weak or safe; local bathymetry and weather can still produce hazardous conditions.
- Reference category
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Related terms
- Astronomical Season, Meteorological Season, Equinox, Solstice
The story behind Neap Tide
The term has long described the moderated tidal range that follows spring-tide periods.
Neap Tide in spiritual tradition
Neap tides show that intersecting forces can moderate a cycle rather than erase it.
The Great Almanac frames Neap Tide 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.
Neap Tide 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This is a factual astronomy, calendar, Earth-science, cultural, or historical reference.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.
Neap Tide in numerology
Neap Tide 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 Neap Tide matters
Neap tides form the lower-range counterpart to spring tides in the recurring lunar-month tidal pattern.
Example in a reading: During a neap period, high tides are often lower and low tides higher than during the surrounding spring-tide period.
Interpretive caution: Do not call neap tides universally weak or safe; local bathymetry and weather can still produce hazardous conditions.
How Neap Tide is used in a reading
Use Neap Tide for general timing context and pair it with official station predictions for navigation or coastal decisions.
Where interpretation stops
Neap Tide 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:
- NOAA Ocean Service: What Are Spring and Neap Tides? - Official explanation of lunar-solar alignment and spring and neap tidal ranges.
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.
Continue learning
Continue into the live sky, space weather, universal timing, and the wider field surrounding the current season.
Open Worldwide WatchRelated terms
These related entries help place Neap Tide inside a wider reference cluster instead of leaving it as a standalone keyword.
