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

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

Hello Latin Language learners 😊!

For each months of the year, you will learn:

How to write the month in Latin
How to pronounce it (listen to the audio recording)
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 ! 😀

Table: Months (Mensis) of the year in Latin

In Latin, the word "month" is written mensis in the singular and menses in the plural.

Month in English	Month in Latin (writing)	Month in Latin (Meaning & Origin)
January	Mensis Ianuarius	The month of the god Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings, choices, passage and doors.
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".
March	Mensis Martius	The month of the god Mars, the famous god of warriors, youth and violence.
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.
May	Mensis Maius	The month of Maia, Roman goddess of fertility and spring.
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.
July	Mensis Iulius	The month of Emperor Julius Caesar.
August	Mensis Augustus	The month of the first Roman emperor, Augustus.
September	Mensis September	Seventh Month
October	Mensis October	Eighth Month
November	Mensis November	Ninth Month
December	Mensis December	Tenth Month