Language/Latin/Vocabulary/Months-of-the-Year

Months of the Year in Latin: writing, pronunciation and origin

The Roman Calendar

Hello Latin Language learners 😊!

In today's lesson, we will learn everything about the Latin months of the year.

For each months of the year, you will learn:

1. How to write the month in Latin
2. How to pronounce it (listen to the audio recording)
3. What does it mean? Where does it come from? (etymology). The Latin names are all taken from the Roman calendar (whereas our current calendar is "the Gregorian Calendar"). Most names refer to illustrious names from Roman mythology and politics. Thanks to the explanations below, you will be able to shine in society every first of the month!

Happy learning ! 😀

The 12 Latin Months of the year: Writing, Pronunciation & Origin

Number*	Month in English	Month** in Latin (writing)	Month in Latin (pronunciation)	Month in Latin (Meaning & Origin)
I	March	Mensis Martius		The month of the god Mars, the famous god of warriors, youth and violence.
II	April	Mensis Aprilis		We do not know precisely the etymology of the name April. Certainly, we know the Latin root aprilis, which, once again, was used to form the English April, but its meaning remains obscure.
III	May	Mensis Maius		The month of Maia, Roman goddess of fertility and spring.
IV	June	Mensis Iunius		The most widespread etymology links the name of this month to that of Lucius Junius Brutus, the legendary founder of the Roman Republic.
V	July	Mensis Iulius		The month of Emperor Julius Caesar.
VI	August	Mensis Augustus		The month of the first Roman emperor, Augustus.
VII	September	Mensis September		Seventh Month
VIII	October	Mensis October		Eighth Month
IX	November	Mensis November		Ninth Month
X	December	Mensis December		Tenth Month
XI	January	Mensis Ianuarius		The month of the god Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings, choices, passage and doors.
XII	February	Mensis Februarius		The month of purification. The Latin Februarius (still at the origin of the English February) means "month of purification", itself derived from februum, "means of purifying".

Notes

• * In the first Roman calendar, March was the first month of the year
• ** In Latin, the word "month" is written mensis in the singular and menses in the plural.

Related Latin Lessons

• How to Count to 10 in Latin
• How to Count to 100 in Latin
• Days of the Week in Latin
• Months of the Year in Latin
• Seasons in Latin
• How to Tell the Time in Latin
• Colors in Latin
• Body Parts in Latin
• Family in Latin

Count to 10 in All Languages

• Summary
• Numeral Systems
• Count to 10 in French
• Count to 10 in Latin
• Count to 10 in Chinese
• Count to 10 in modern Greek
• Count to 10 in Russian
• Count to 10 in Swedish
• Count to 10 in Thai

Sources

• https://www.projet-voltaire.fr/culture-generale/dossier-special-dou-viennent-noms-mois-de-lannee/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_calendar