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

In early February, Opportunity employees from around the world participated in brainstorming sessions for the incubator, generating more than 200 ideas. —Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024

Delphi murder trial: Libby's blood was likely mixed with her tears, expert says Allen is accused of killing Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams 13, on a hiking trail in February 2017. —Janel Klein, ABC News, 31 Oct. 2024

The production will begin previews Monday, February 24, 2025, at Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre, with an opening night on Sunday, March 23. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024

Back in 2023, his team analyzed 350 speeches from 50 US governors between February and May 2020 who talked about what people needed to do to stay safe during the pandemic. —Julia Sullivan, SELF, 31 Oct. 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.