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What do months names mean ?
Where do the names of months come from ?
What do they mean ?
Have they always been the same ?
Are they linked to history ? To the English-speaking world ?
Answers.
January
Origin :
Roman mythology
Meaning :
Named after the Roman God Janus
January brings the new year. It was named after the Roman God Janus.
Janus was a two-faced god, representing transitions and new beginnings, which explains why it gave its name to the first month of the year !
February
Origin :
Latin
Meaning :
purification
After the transition of January comes February, « februum », purification.
I don’t know whether this is linked to Febreze to purify air, but what is sure is that February was a time for purification rituals in ancient Rome. To get rid of the bad past and finish the transition towards a better you.
Even better on Valentine’s Day, to show love and good we are !
March
Origin :
Roman mythology
Meaning :
named after the Roman god Mars.
As we say in French, « un mars et ça repart! ». March was named after the Roman god of war – Mars.
And the effect is the same as in the French saying : off we go again !
March gives motivation. Flowers « spring » again, everything and eveyrone is waking up to a new beautiful day and time !
March is renewal, rebirth !
April
Origin :
Latin
Meaning :
open
And we go on with April, which comes from the latin word « aperire » which means open.
As the firt month fully dedicated to spring, we can say April is definitely the grand opening of the spring season.
Going on with renewal, and even a little further to start growth.
May
Origin :
Roman mythology
Meaning :
named after the Roman goddess Maia.
This month was named after the Roman goddess Maia.
Maia was the goddess of growth and fertility.
This comes obvious, following the previous months. As if the year were a woman expecting a baby, May is the right time for birth after the transitional months, and those of blossom, it is now time for growth and abundance with birth.
June
Origin :
Roman mythology
Meaning :
named after the Roman goddess Juno
Another month named after another Roman goddess, June is quite a loyal representation of Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage and family !
No wonder why so many people get wed in June – and not just for financials reasons !
July
Origin :
Roman emperor
Meaning :
Julius Caesar
Probably the most famous Caesar, Julius had his name added to the calendar ! To join the Roman gods and goddesses !
There’s nothing much to say about the meaning of this month, as it was added to honour the accomplishments of this emperor.
But a question remains : why in summer ?
Probably because it’s when the sun is at its highest point. And in those times, the Sun was the most divine natural « entity ».
August
Origin :
Roman emperor
Meaning :
Augustus Caesar
Another famous Caesar, Augustus this time, also had his name added to the calendar ! To join the Roman gods and goddesses !
There’s nothing much to say about the meaning of this month, as it was added to honour the accomplishments of this emperor.
The reasons were probably the same as those for July…
September
Origin :
Latin
Meaning :
7
September, October, November and December just expressed their position in the Roman Calendar.
Before the two humble emperors got their names (and months) added.
September was the seventh month of the year and was the starting point of the transitions towards autumn and then winter.
The right time to still enjoy the sunny weather without the heat.
The right time to enjoy the premices of autumn without the leaves leaving slippery grounds.
October
Origin :
Latin
Meaning :
8
In a logical way, October comes after September as the 8th month of the original Roman calendar.
Just as April is the first month fully dedicated to Spring, October is the month fully dedicated to Autumn.
The end of October brings the beginning of celebrations with Halloween in the English-speaking culture, of course,but also in Mexico and for 3 days.
November
Origin :
Latin
Meaning :
9
In a logical way, November comes afterOctober as the 9th month of the original Roman calendar.
November is deifnitely the transition towards winter and celebrations, with Thanksgiving and the Black Friday to launch the season of human warmth versus natural temperature going down.
And off we go with the last month of the year…
December
Origin :
Latin
Meaning :
10
No wonder what December means : 10. The last of a series before going back to 1 in the next series.
Remember this was before Julius and Augustus got their names and months added !
December is the arrival of winter. Time to stay at home and enjoy time with the family.
Holidays. Christmas. And all that comes with these.
Now you know more about months of the year and their names, tell us about your favourite month and why you love it 🙂
Enjoy English all year round !
