February
[ feb-roo-er-ee, feb-yoo‐ ]
/ ˈfɛb ruˌɛr i, ˈfɛb yu‐ /
noun, plural Feb·ru·ar·ies.
the second month of the year, ordinarily containing 28 days, but containing 29 days in leap years. Abbreviation: Feb.
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Origin of February
before 1000; Middle English; Old English
Februarius < Latin
Februārius (mēnsis) expiatory (month), derivative of
februa (plural) expiatory offerings; see
-ary
pronunciation note for February
Many people try to pronounce
February with both
[r] /r/ sounds, as shown above. The common pronunciation
[feb-yoo-er-ee] /ˈfɛb yuˌɛr i/, with the first
[r] /r/ replaced by
[y] /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.
Example sentences from the Web for february
British Dictionary definitions for february
February
/ (ˈfɛbrʊərɪ) /
noun plural -aries
the second month of the year, consisting of 28 or (in a leap year) 29 days
Word Origin for February
C13: from Latin
Februārius mēnsis month of expiation, from
februa Roman festival of purification held on February 15, from plural of
februum a purgation