Zodiac

Originally a term from ancient Greek astronomy, "zodiac" described the constellations which are on the path the sun takes across the sky over the course of a solar year. Those constellations were each eventually assigned to one of 12 months, forming the western zodiac popularly known today. The word has also been used to refer to the Chinese zodiac, which uses animal symbols in a cycle of 12 years (instead of 12 months).