Word origin · etymology
Greek-derived adjective.
Proleptic comes from prolepsis, anticipation. A proleptic calendar applies a rule backward beyond its historical introduction.
How we know · epistemology
Computational convention
Extending a calendar’s rules backward creates consistent arithmetic. It does not establish that a historical community actually used those rules or wrote the resulting date.
Connected concepts
Browse other concepts in Time & location →
These links connect subjects and terminology. They do not establish a shared historical origin.
Sources & provenance
Use the citations beside each section to distinguish a calculation convention, a historical teaching and an editorial example.