 |
The Names of the Months- January: named after Janus, the god of doors and gates
- February: named after Februalia, a time period when sacrifices were made to atone for sins
- March: named after Mars, the god of war
- April: from aperire, Latin for “to open” (buds)
- May: named after Maia, the goddess of growth of plants
- June: from junius, Latin for the goddess Juno
- July: named after Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.
- August: named after Augustus Caesar in 8 B.C.
- September: from septem, Latin for “seven”
- October: from octo, Latin for “eight”
- November: from novem, Latin for “nine”
- December: from decem, Latin for “ten”
NOTE: The earliest Latin calendar was a 10-month one, beginning with March; thus, September was the seventh month, October, the eighth, etc. July was originally called Quintilis, meaning fifth; August was originally called Sextilis, meaning sixth.
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. More on Names of the Months from Infoplease:
- Philippe François Nazaire Fabre d'Églantine - Fabre d'Églantine, Philippe François Nazaire Fabre d'Églantine, ...
- August—History of the Month's Origin - A history of the month's name
- A History of the New Year - A move from March to January
- Name Meanings, Origins, and Popularity - Find the meanings, origins, and popularity of names from planet to pet names, hurricane to Spanish place names.
- Writing & Language - Writing & Language In this collection of articles, tables, and references, there is a guide to ...
|
|
