Word: February

Pronunciation

/ˈfebru(ə)ri/

Definitions

• Noun: The second month of the year in the Gregorian calendar, having either 28 days (in common years) or 29 days (in leap years).

Example sentence: “Valentine’s Day falls on February 14th.”

Phrases

• “February showers bring forth March flowers”: This phrase alludes to the rainy weather typical of February leading to spring blooms later in March.
• “Leap year occurs every four years, adding an extra day to February”: This explains how in a leap year, February has 29 days instead of the usual 28.

Example Sentences

• Noun usage: “The company’s fiscal year begins in February.”
• Idiomatic usage: “We’ll review your progress again at the end of February.”

Synonyms

• None, since February is a proper noun referring to a specific month; however, it can be replaced by its numerical equivalent when writing dates: “the second month.”

Etymology

Derived from Latin ‘Februarius,’ which refers to the Roman festival of purification called Februa, held during this month. It also relates to the Latin word ‘febris,’ meaning ‘fever,’ as the month was associated with the cleansing of both physical and spiritual impurities.