January
January is named after the Roman god Janus, who presided over doors and beginnings - appropriately enough, for the beginning of the year (though this is, as you will discover, not as straightforward as it seems). Indeed, Janus was usually depicted with two faces looking backwards and forwards, as is often characteristic of a new year; this also gave rise to the term Janus word for words that have two opposite meanings.
February
February is ultimately based on Latin februarius, from februa. In case that's not helped things become clearer, februa was the name of a purification feast held on the 15th of this month. February is a divisive issue in modern pronunciation, with both Feb-yoo-ary and Feb-roo-ary being commonly heard.
March
Which god gets a planet and a month named after him? You've guessed it: Mars. Why him? As the Oxford English Dictionary notes, 'In ancient Rome several festivals of Mars took place in March, presumably in preparation for the campaigning season, since Mars was a god of war.'
April
We know that the English word April comes from the Latin Aprillis, the fourth month of the ancient Roman calendar, but things are less clear after that. In Old English, April was also sometimes called Eastermonab, 'Easter month'.
May
The month is connected with the goddess Maia. Perhaps less well known now than the other deities with months named after them, Maia (in Greek mythology) was daughter of Atlas and mother of Hermes. She was considered a nurturer and an earth goddess, which may explain the connection with this springtime month. Although may is a common modal verb, the month and the word are unrelated.
June
Having conceded one month to a Greek deity, we're now back with the Romans: June is named after the ancient Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter and goddess of marriage and childbirth. June was also once sometimes known as midsummer month.
July
The first month in the calendar named after a real person, July was named in honour of Julius Caesar after his death in 44 BC, July being the month of his birth. Before it was renamed, the month was known as Quintilis (borrowed into English as Quintile), which means 'fifth'. If you've been counting, you'll know that July isn't the fifth month: we'll come on to that when we reach September and October.
August
Following suit, in 8 BC, the month Sextilis ('sixth') was renamed after Augustus, the first Roman emperor, who had died six years earlier. Augustus himself was given this title when he became emperor, having previously been known as Octavian. It came from the Latin augustus meaning ' consecrated, venerable' which gave rise to the English adjective august, 'respected and impressive'.
September
September follows on from Quinitlis and Sextilis, in that it comes from the Latin septem, 'seven'. As with those (and the rest of the calendar), the numbering is a bit off now: September was originally the seventh month in an ancient Roman ten-month calendar, which started with March.
October
More of the same: octo is the Latin for 'eight', for that ten month calendar. Two months were added to the end of the calendar year around 713 BC, and the beginning of the year was moved to 1 January in 153 BC.
November
The pattern continues: November comes from novem, 'nine'. November is also, we're afraid, used 'with allusion to November's position at the end of the year, and to the characteristic greyness, gloominess, etc., associated with it in the northern hemisphere'. The earliest known example of this allusive use comes from Jane Austen's posthumously published novel Persuasion.
December
And we finish off the year with December, from decem, 'ten'. The month also comes with a brace of adjectives: Decemberish and Decemberly, the latter of which can also be used as an adverb. And there you have it: a whole calendar year of etymologies to see you through the whole of 2016.
体坛英语资讯:England fails to qualify for Euro 2008
体坛英语资讯:Female Yao a head above the rest
体坛英语资讯:Bucks finish preseason with loss to Timberwolves
体坛英语资讯:Chang breaks with Peng but still wants to help China
体坛英语资讯:Hingis dope tests may never be revealed
体坛英语资讯:Nothing guaranteed in group of death
体坛英语资讯:Davydenko left out of Davis Cup final singles
体坛英语资讯:Totti denies considering Italy return
体坛英语资讯:Pairs skaters challenged by system
体坛英语资讯:Chinas Li Na makes strong start to season
体坛英语资讯:Chinese lead table tennis qualifiers for Beijing
体坛英语资讯:Former France coach tipped to direct China
体坛英语资讯:China trounces Singapore 7-1 in AFC U-19
体坛英语资讯:Brazil wins right to host 2014 World Cup
体坛英语资讯:Nadal reaches Shanghai semis with Ferrers help
体坛英语资讯:Federer back on track, Roddick into semis
体坛英语资讯:Xinjiang stripped of CBA playoff spot
体坛英语资讯:Diving champ marries pop singer
体坛英语资讯:Sampras upstages Federer in exhibition
体坛英语资讯:Beijing preparing for ATP 500 Series tour in 2009
体坛英语资讯:Inter maintain lead with 2-0 win at Fiorentina
体坛英语资讯:11 ministries join hands to combat doping
体坛英语资讯:Nalbandian tames Nadal again in Paris final
体坛英语资讯:Spurs cruise past McGrady-less Rockets
体坛英语资讯:CBA struggling to find TV audience
体坛英语资讯:China names Frances Elisabeth as coach
体坛英语资讯:US rely on home advantage against Russia
美国和俄罗斯的关系从重启走向倒退
体坛英语资讯:Yao-Yi matchup could set ratings records
体坛英语资讯:Nadal eyes Australian Open despite Chennai thrashing
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |