Al'ma-nac, n.

(Synop., § 130), n. [Fr. almanach, It. almanacco, Sp. almanaque, Ar. manakh (Pedro de Alcalá), Ar. manaha, to give as a present; Heb. mānāh, to allot, assign, count; Ar. manay, to define, determine; manā, measure, time, fate; maniyat, pl. manāyā, any thing definite in time and manner, fate. The origin of this word was certainly with the Arabs in Spain, as appears from the form manakh, mentioned by Pedro de Alcalá.] A book or table, containing a calendar of days, weeks, and months, to which astronomical data and various statistics are often added, such as the times of the rising and setting of the sun and moon, changes of the moon, eclipses, hours of full tide, stated festivals of churches, stated terms of courts, &c.

Whewell.