Zodiac
Glossary · Last updated: 2026-07-26
The zodiac originally meant the band of constellations along the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun, Moon, and planets across the year.
Western astrology uses twelve equal 30-degree tropical signs. Other systems (Vedic, Chinese animals, Mayan day-signs) are separate frameworks.
Not only Western
Chinese Sheng Xiao, Mayan Tzolk'in, and Celtic tree calendars are also called zodiacs in plain English, though they are not twelve tropical signs.