February

noun

Feb·​ru·​ary ˈfe-b(y)ə-ˌwer-ē  ˈfe-brə- 

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

Construction on the plant started in February 2024, and 850 workers are working six days a week to finish the 1.4 million-square-foot facility by August 2025. —James Morton Turner, Discover Magazine, 9 Nov. 2024

The company announced a share repurchase program in February 2024, authorizing up to $250 million in repurchases, with $56 million repurchased during the nine months ended September 30, 2024. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024

In February 2023, Google’s artificial intelligence chatbot Bard claimed that the James Webb Space Telescope had captured the first image of a planet outside our solar system. —Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024

On Mount Diablo Avenue, Milpitas, in February 2023, a 1,541-square-foot home was sold for $1,440,000, a price per square foot of $934. —Bay Area Home Report, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024

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

Kids Definition

February

noun

Feb·​ru·​ary ˈfeb-(y)ə-ˌwer-ē  ˈfeb-rə- 

: 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.