February

noun

plural Februaries or Februarys
: the second month of the Gregorian calendar
How do you pronounce February?: Usage Guide

Dissimilation may occur when a word contains two identical or closely related sounds, resulting in the change or loss of one of them. This happens regularly in February, which is more often pronounced \ˈfe-b(y)ə-ˌwer-ē\ than \ˈfe-brə-ˌwer-ē\, though all of these variants are in frequent use and widely accepted. The \y\ heard from many speakers is not an intrusion but rather a common pronunciation of the vowel u after a consonant, as in January and annual.

Examples of February in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web According to The Sunday Times, a source cited the moment when Prince William dropped out of a ceremony to honor his godfather King Constantine of Greece in late February as the turning point when the public began questioning everything about the princess’ absence. Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2024 Former President Donald Trump supports a 16-week ban with exceptions, the New York Times reported in February. The Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2024 Compared with the pre-COVID employment heights of February 2020, the San Francisco metro area is 34,500 jobs below that pinnacle, the East Bay has a shortfall of 4,600 jobs and the South Bay is 4,300 jobs short. George Avalos, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024 Wildflowers began to bloom this February in some of Southern California’s low elevation deserts and will continue to inject new life into the dry landscape throughout the spring, likely reaching a peak in scope and color around April, according to Meyer. Mary Gilbert, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024 All four wore long coats and breathed ghosts of visible vapor into the cold February morning. CBS News, 17 Mar. 2024 The campaign's announcement comes days before the deadline for February campaign reports to be filed with the FEC. Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, ABC News, 17 Mar. 2024 The military has also been arranging private commercial convoys and says more than 300 trucks -- mainly private -- have entered the north since the beginning of February. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 16 Mar. 2024 Michael Austin Ford, 58, was indicted by a grand jury in February and was detained on Friday after authorities accused him of setting a school bus on fire on two separate occasions, the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Utah, said in a statement. Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'February.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Februarie, from Old English Februarius, from Latin, from Februa, plural, feast of purification

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of February was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near February

Cite this Entry

“February.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/February. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

February

noun
: the second month of the year
Etymology

Old English Februarius "February," from Latin Februarius "February," literally, "of Februa," from Februa "feast of cleansing"

Word Origin
Every winter the ancient Romans would celebrate a festival of spiritual cleansing. The name of the festival was Februa. Because of its importance the Romans named the month in which it fell Februarius, which means "of Februa." The English name February comes from the Latin Februarius.

More from Merriam-Webster on February

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