February

February
noun (plural -aries or -arys) Etymology: Middle English Februarie, from Old English Februarius, from Latin, from Februa, plural, feast of purification Date: before 12th century the second month of the Gregorian calendar Usage: 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.

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • February — should be pronounced with both rs fully articulated. It is now common, especially in AmE, to hear the word pronounced as if it were Febuary (and it is occasionally spelt that way too, which is a great deal worse) …   Modern English usage

  • February — ► NOUN (pl. Februaries) ▪ the second month of the year. ORIGIN Latin februarius, from februa, the name of a purification feast held in this month …   English terms dictionary

  • February — or Feb. or F. [feb′ro͞o er΄ē, feb′yo͞o er΄ē] n. pl. Februaries or Februarys [ME Februarie < L Februarius (mensis), orig. month of expiation < februa, Rom. festival of purification held Feb. 15, pl. of februum, means of purification, prob.… …   English World dictionary

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  • February — Feb|ru|a|ry [ˈfebruəri, ˈfebjuri US ˈfebjueri] n [U and C] written abbreviation Feb. [Date: 1300 1400; : Latin; Origin: Februarius, from Februa, Roman religious ceremony in February to make things pure] the second month of the year, between… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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