μοῖρα
moira

Greek noun

Last edited: 2025-02-03
Primary meaning degree
Literal translation portion
Variants
μοῖρα moira
μο mo abbreviation
Edited by
degree unit of celestial position

ἐχθροὶ γάρ εἰσιν οἱ τῶν ἀντικειμένων μοιρῶν ὁρικοὶ κύριοι

‘for the masters of the terms of the degrees that are in opposition are hostile’

— Vettius Valens 3.5.3

Genre: astrological treatise
Date: 2nd century CE

Πάλιν δὲ ἕκαστον τῶν δωδεκατημορίων διαιρεῖται εἰς μέρη λʹ, καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ἓν τμῆμα μοῖρα, ὥστε τὸν ὅλον κύκλον τῶν ζῳδίων περιέχειν ζῴδια μὲν ιβʹ, μοίρας δὲ τξʹ.

‘And each of these twelve zodiac signs is divided in 30 parts, and a single section is called a “degree”, so that the whole zodiac comprises 12 zodiac signs, and 360 degrees.’

— Geminus 1.6

Genre: astronomy
Date: 1st century BCE

Geminus. 1975. Géminos, Introduction aux Phénomènes, ed. G. Aujac. Paris: Les Belles Lettres. 2

Ἄλλο μέντοι γέ ἐστι μοῖρα καὶ ἄλλο ἡμέρα. Μοῖρα μὲν γάρ ἐστι διάστημά τι λʹὸν μέρος ὑπάρχον τοῦ ζῳδίου, ἡμέρα δέ ἐστι χρόνος λʹὸν μέρος ὡς ἔγγιστα τοῦ μηνιαίου χρόνου. Καὶ ἡ μὲν μοῖρα τξʹον μέρος ἐστὶ τοῦ ζῳδιακοῦ κύκλου, ἡ δὲ ἡμέρα τξεʹον καὶ δʹον μέρος ὡς ἔγγιστα τοῦ ἐνιαυσιαίου χρόνου. Καὶ πάντα μὲν τὰ ζῴδια τριακονταμόριά ἐστιν, οὐ πάντα δὲ τριακονθήμερα.

‘A degree is one thing though and a day another. For a degree is a certain interval, being a 30th part of the zodiac sign, while a day is a time period, as close as possible to a 30th part of the time of a month. Also, the degree is a 360th part of the zodiac, and the day as close as possible to a 365th and a 4th part of the time of a year. Also, all zodiac signs consist of thirty degrees, but not all of thirty days.’

— Geminus 1.8

Genre: astronomy
Date: 1st century BCE

Geminus. 1975. Géminos, Introduction aux Phénomènes, ed. G. Aujac. Paris: Les Belles Lettres. 2

πρ(οσθετικὸς) (Ἄρης) Αἰγοκέρωτι μο(ίρᾳ) ζʹ λ(επτοῖς) θʹ

‘Additive Mars in Capricorn 7° 9'’

— P. Oxy. LXI 4275 8

Genre: horoscope
Provenance: Oxyrhynchus
Date: 508 CE

Jones, A. (ed.), 1999. Astronomical papyri from Oxyrhynchus (P. Oxy. 4133-4300a), Volumes I and II. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society. I: 281-282 + II: 416-417

Cite this entry
APA (7th)
Peeters, T., & Zellmann-Rohrer, M. (2025). μοῖρα (Lemma #526). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/526/
Chicago (Author-Date)
Peeters, T., & Zellmann-Rohrer, M. (2025). μοῖρα (Lemma #526). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/526/
MLA (9th)
Peeters, T., & Zellmann-Rohrer, M. (2025). μοῖρα (Lemma #526). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/526/
Harvard
Peeters, T. and Zellmann-Rohrer, M. (2025) μοῖρα (Lemma #526), The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. Available at: https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/526/ (Accessed: February 2, 2026).
BibTeX 
@misc{zodiac526,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-02-02]},
	author = {Peeters, Thomas and Zellmann-Rohrer, Michael},
	year = {2025},
	title = {μοῖρα ({Lemma} #526)},
	url = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/526/},
	howpublished = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/526/},
}