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"February" in seven languages

MeaningFebruary

Spanish

febrero

/feˈbɾeɾo/

masc.inherited

French

février

/fevʁije/

masc.inherited

Italian

febbraio

/febˈbrajo/

masc.inherited

Portuguese

fevereiro

/feveˈɾejɾu/

masc.inherited

Romanian

februarie

/febˈruarie/

masc.learned

Catalan

febrer

/fəˈbɾe/

masc.inherited

English

February

/ˈfɛbjuɛɹi/

from Latin/French · Latin FEBRUĀRIUS (via Old French feverier)

English → ItalianFebruaryfebbraioCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

FEBRUĀRIUM (spoken *FEBRĀRIUM)‘(month) of the purification rites, FEBRUA’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Spoken Latin dropped the awkward u, as English speakers still do. The -ĀRIUM ending shows its three outcomes: -ero, -ier, -aio.

English relatives: February

Sound laws at work

-ĀRIUM: -ero, -ier, -aio

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esFebrero es el mes más corto.
  • frFévrier est le mois le plus court.
  • itFebbraio è il mese più corto.
  • ptFevereiro é o mês mais curto.
  • roFebruarie e cea mai scurtă lună.
  • caEl febrer és el mes més curt.
  • enFebruary is the shortest month.

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