dog days
plural noun
the sultry part of the summer, supposed to occur during the period that Sirius, the Dog Star, rises at the same time as the sun: now often reckoned from July 3 to August 11.
a period marked by lethargy, inactivity, or indolence.
Origin of dog days
1530–40; translation of Latin
diēs caniculārēs; see
canicular
OTHER WORDS FROM dog days
dog-day, adjectiveWords nearby dog days
dog biscuit,
dog box,
dog clutch,
dog collar,
dog curtain,
dog days,
dog eat dog,
dog fennel,
dog flea,
dog fouling,
dog fox
Example sentences from the Web for dog days
British Dictionary definitions for dog days
dog days
pl n
the hot period of the summer reckoned in ancient times from the heliacal rising of Sirius (the Dog Star)
a period marked by inactivity
Word Origin for dog days
C16: translation of Late Latin
diēs caniculārēs, translation of Greek
hēmerai kunades
Cultural definitions for dog days
dog days
The hot, muggy days of summer. The Romans associated such weather with the influence of Sirius, the dog star, which is high in the sky during summer days.
Idioms and Phrases with dog days
dog days
Hot, sultry summer weather; also, a period of stagnation. For example, It's hard to get much work done during the dog days, or Every winter there's a week or two of dog days when sales drop dramatically. The term alludes to the period between early July and early September, when Sirius, the so-called Dog Star, rises and sets with the sun. The ancient Romans called this phenomenon dies caniculares, which was translated as “dog days” in the first half of the 1500s.