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february - 5 dictionary results

Feb⋅ru⋅ar⋅y

  [feb-roo-er-ee, feb-yoo‑]
Use february in a Sentence
–noun, plural -ar⋅ies.
the second month of the year, ordinarily containing 28 days, but containing 29 days in leap years. Abbreviation: Feb.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE Februarius < L Februārius (mēnsis) expiatory (month), der. of februa (pl.) expiatory offerings; see -ary

Pronunciation note:
Many people try to pronounce February with both [r] sounds, as shown above. The common pronunciation [feb-yoo-er-ee], with the first [r] replaced by [y], is the result of dissimilation, the tendency of like sounds to become unlike when they follow each other closely. An additional influence is analogy with January. Although sometimes criticized, this dissimilated pronunciation of February is used by educated speakers and is considered standard.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Feb·ru·ar·y   (fěb'rōō-ěr'ē, fěb'yōō-)   
n.   pl. Feb·ru·ar·ies Abbr. Feb.
The second month of the year in the Gregorian calendar. See Table at calendar.

[Middle English Februarie, from Latin Februārius (mēnsis), (month) of purification, from februa, expiatory offerings, possibly of Sabine origin.]
Usage Note: Although the variant pronunciation (fěb'yōō-ěr'ē) is often censured because it doesn't reflect the spelling of the word, it is quite common in educated speech and is generally considered acceptable. The loss of the first r in this pronunciation can be accounted for by the phonological process known as dissimilation, by which similar sounds in a word tend to become less similar. In the case of February, the loss of the first r is also owing to the influence of January, which has only one r.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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February

Feb"ru*a*ry\, n. [L. Februarius, orig., the month of expiation, because on the fifteenth of this month the great feast of expiation and purification was held, fr. februa, pl., the Roman festival or purification; akin to februare to purify, expiate.] The second month in the year, said to have been introduced into the Roman calendar by Numa. In common years this month contains twenty-eight days; in the bissextile, or leap year, it has twenty-nine days.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : february
Spanish: febrero,
German: der Februar,
Japanese: ２月
More Translations »

February 
1373, from L. februarius mensis "month of purification," from februa "purifications" (plural of februum), of unknown origin, said to be a Sabine word. The last month of the ancient (pre-450 B.C.E.) Roman calendar, so named in reference to the Roman feast of purification, held on the ides of the month. In Britain, replaced O.E. solmonað "mud month." English first (c.1200) borrowed it from O.Fr. Feverier, which yielded feoverel before a respelling to conform to Latin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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February

second month of the Gregorian calendar. It was named after Februalia, the Roman festival of purification. Originally, February was the last month of the Roman calendar.

Learn more about February with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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