英语月份名称有什么来历？

公历起源于古罗马历法，英文中的January起源于拉丁文Januarius。古罗马人这样称呼一月是为了纪念他们的守护神雅努斯（Janus）。这位神有两副面孔，前面注视未来，而脑后一副面孔是回顾过去的。

February是源于拉丁文中的Februarius，这是古罗马的节日——菲勃卢姆节（Februm）。

March来源于拉丁文中的Martins，是古罗马人所崇敬的战神马尔斯（Mars）的名字。

April来源于拉丁文中的Aprilis，原意是大地回春、万象更新的意思。

古罗马神话中的一位掌管春天和生命的女神叫玛雅（Maina）。古罗马人把五月称为Mains来纪念这位女神，May就是由此演变而来。

June来源于古罗马神话中的女神之王朱诺（Juno），罗马人为了纪念她，就把六月称为朱诺之月（Junius）。英文中的六月就是从这个词演变而来。

July来源于古罗马统治者恺撒大帝，他死后人们将他的名字Julius命名为七月。

Auguest来源于拉丁文中的Augustus。恺撒死后，他的侄子屋大维继任统治罗马，因为他出生在八月，所以他就用自己的称号——奥古斯都（Augustus）来命名八月。

英文中的September来源于拉丁文中的“第七”Septem，原意也是七月。古罗马历法原是一年十个月，后来又加了两个月，变为十二个月。这两个月放在年初，以后的月份顺序推后，这样七月就变成九月了。

October来源于拉丁文中的“第八”Octo，原意为八月，古罗马历法为十二月后七月变为九月，那么八月也就变为十月了。

November来源于拉丁文中的“第九”。

December来源于拉丁文中的“第十”。

1

January 一月

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 yearthis also gave rise to the term Janus word for words that have two opposite meanings.

January是以罗马神话中双面神杰纳斯（Janus）的名字命名的。他负责司守门户以及万物的始末——作为一年的开始，他很适合（尽管你会发现，其实并没有那么直观）。事实上，杰纳斯通常以双面孔示人，一面回顾过去，一面注视未来，而这经常被视为新的一年的特征；这也使得它的引申词组“Janus word”（双面词）表示兼有两种相反含义的词。

2

February 二月

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.

February由拉丁语“februa”的衍生词“februarius”演变而来。可能这样说并没有解释得很清楚，这里再补充一下：“februa”是这个月十五号举行的一场涤罪盛宴的名称。在现代英语中，人们对“February”的发音产生了分歧，最常听到的有两种，一种是“Feb-yoo-ary”，还有一种是“Feb-roo-ary”。

3

March 三月

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.’

有哪位神的名字既是一个星球的名字，又是一个月份的名字呢？你们已经猜到了：马尔斯（Mars）。为什么是他？《牛津英语词典》上记载：“在古罗马时期，一些有关于马尔斯的节日都在三月举行，想必是为了战争时期做准备，因为马尔斯是一位战神。”

4

April 四月

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’.

我们知道英文词汇“April”来源于拉丁语“Aprillis”，是古罗马日历的第四个月，但除此之外，我们就不太清楚了。在古英语中，四月有时也被称为“Eastermonth”，即“复活月”。

5

May 五月

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.

这个月与玛雅女神（the goddess Maia）有关。与其他神相比，也许玛雅并没有那么为人们所熟知，在希腊神话中，她是阿特拉（Atlas）之女，同时也是赫尔墨斯（Hermes）之母。她被誉为养育者和大地女神，这或许可以解释为什么它是属于春季的月份。尽管“may”经常被用作情态动词，但它与五月并没有关系。

6

June 六月

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.

前面已经有一个月是以希腊女神命名的了，现在我们再次回到罗马的神灵：六月是以古罗马女神朱诺（Juno）命名的。她是主神朱庇特（Jupiter）的妻子，是婚姻与分娩之神。六月也曾一度被认为是仲夏月。

7

July 七月

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.

July是日历中第一个以真实的人物命名的月份，七月的命名是为了纪念尤里乌斯•凯撒（Julius Caesar）。公元前44年，凯撒大帝去世，七月是他出生的月份。在更名之前，这个月叫做“Quintilis”（英语则为“Quintile”），意为“第五”。如果你数过了的话，你会发现七月并不是第五个月：这一点在说到九月和十月的时候我们会做出解释。

8

August 八月

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’.

同样地，在公元前8年，“Sextilis” (‘sixth’)这个月以古罗马第一位帝王奥古斯都（Augustus）来命名，他本人早于六年前去世。奥古斯都是他在成为帝王之时为自己改的名字，在这之前，他叫奥克塔维安（Octavian）。这个词来源于拉丁语“augustus”，意为“神圣的、值得尊敬的”，由此，august在做形容词时有“值得尊敬的”的意思。

9

September 九月

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.

“September”排在“Quinitlis”和“Sextilis”之后，是因为它来源于拉丁语“septem”，在这里是指第七个月。到这里，这些月份（以及日历中其它月份）的排序方式就有点混乱了：在古罗马的十月制日历中，September是第七个月份，那个日历是从March开始的。

10

October 十月

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.

同理，“octo”在拉丁语中是八的意思，因此在十月历中，它是指第八个月。在公元前713年左右，日历年的年底又加了两个月，公元前153年将一月一日作为一年的开始。

1

January 一月

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 yearthis also gave rise to the term Janus word for words that have two opposite meanings.

January是以罗马神话中双面神杰纳斯（Janus）的名字命名的。他负责司守门户以及万物的始末——作为一年的开始，他很适合（尽管你会发现，其实并没有那么直观）。事实上，杰纳斯通常以双面孔示人，一面回顾过去，一面注视未来，而这经常被视为新的一年的特征；这也使得它的引申词组“Janus word”（双面词）表示兼有两种相反含义的词。

2

February 二月

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.

February由拉丁语“februa”的衍生词“februarius”演变而来。可能这样说并没有解释得很清楚，这里再补充一下：“februa”是这个月十五号举行的一场涤罪盛宴的名称。在现代英语中，人们对“February”的发音产生了分歧，最常听到的有两种，一种是“Feb-yoo-ary”，还有一种是“Feb-roo-ary”。

3

March 三月

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.’

有哪位神的名字既是一个星球的名字，又是一个月份的名字呢？你们已经猜到了：马尔斯（Mars）。为什么是他？《牛津英语词典》上记载：“在古罗马时期，一些有关于马尔斯的节日都在三月举行，想必是为了战争时期做准备，因为马尔斯是一位战神。”

4

April 四月

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’.

我们知道英文词汇“April”来源于拉丁语“Aprillis”，是古罗马日历的第四个月，但除此之外，我们就不太清楚了。在古英语中，四月有时也被称为“Eastermonth”，即“复活月”。

5

May 五月

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.

这个月与玛雅女神（the goddess Maia）有关。与其他神相比，也许玛雅并没有那么为人们所熟知，在希腊神话中，她是阿特拉（Atlas）之女，同时也是赫尔墨斯（Hermes）之母。她被誉为养育者和大地女神，这或许可以解释为什么它是属于春季的月份。尽管“may”经常被用作情态动词，但它与五月并没有关系。

6

June 六月

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.

前面已经有一个月是以希腊女神命名的了，现在我们再次回到罗马的神灵：六月是以古罗马女神朱诺（Juno）命名的。她是主神朱庇特（Jupiter）的妻子，是婚姻与分娩之神。六月也曾一度被认为是仲夏月。

7

July 七月

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.

July是日历中第一个以真实的人物命名的月份，七月的命名是为了纪念尤里乌斯•凯撒（Julius Caesar）。公元前44年，凯撒大帝去世，七月是他出生的月份。在更名之前，这个月叫做“Quintilis”（英语则为“Quintile”），意为“第五”。如果你数过了的话，你会发现七月并不是第五个月：这一点在说到九月和十月的时候我们会做出解释。

8

August 八月

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’.

同样地，在公元前8年，“Sextilis” (‘sixth’)这个月以古罗马第一位帝王奥古斯都（Augustus）来命名，他本人早于六年前去世。奥古斯都是他在成为帝王之时为自己改的名字，在这之前，他叫奥克塔维安（Octavian）。这个词来源于拉丁语“augustus”，意为“神圣的、值得尊敬的”，由此，august在做形容词时有“值得尊敬的”的意思。

9

September 九月

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.

“September”排在“Quinitlis”和“Sextilis”之后，是因为它来源于拉丁语“septem”，在这里是指第七个月。到这里，这些月份（以及日历中其它月份）的排序方式就有点混乱了：在古罗马的十月制日历中，September是第七个月份，那个日历是从March开始的。

10

October 十月

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.

同理，“octo”在拉丁语中是八的意思，因此在十月历中，它是指第八个月。在公元前713年左右，日历年的年底又加了两个月，公元前153年将一月一日作为一年的开始。

楼主是不是对September,October,November,December,这4个月份比较好奇呢?它们的命名确实和其他几个月是不一样的.

不只是Spet-是七,而且Octo-是八,Nove(n)-是九,Dece(m)-是十.

而前六个月的命名分别是由拉丁语来的,意思类似于我们的节气.

最特殊的就是7月和8月,本来是没有这两个月的,只是为了纪念罗马帝国两个最伟大的统治者.

因为在旧历,凯撒大帝之前的旧历只有10个月份,但是人们发现这和实际的季节和天象不符合,需要增加两个月.人们为了纪念凯撒,把他出生的月份7月的名称用凯撒的名字来称呼.而他的继任者,奥古斯都的生日是8月,也就用他的名字作8月的称呼,原来的4个月顺延下去,就变成了现在这个怪模样.

下面是一些简单的资料,给你参考：

十二个月份英语名称的由来英语十二个月份的名称来源于拉丁语,其中有好几个出自罗马诸神的名字,例如：January,March,May,June等.

January（一月）--the month of Janus

Janus（詹勒斯）,罗马神话中的天门神,头部前后各有一张面孔,故也称两面神,专司守护门和万物的始末.

February（二月）--the month of expiation（赎罪）

February 来源于一种叫Februa的罗马宗教仪式.罗马帝国规定二月是杀人月,为了使这个杀人的月份早点过去,就把二月减少为28天,闰年的二月再加上一天,为29天.

March（三月）--the month of Mars

Mars（马尔斯）,罗马神话中的战神,骁勇善战,强壮无比,罗马人总是把他与雷电联系起来.

April（四月）

这个词来源于拉丁语aperirir,意思是“绽开”.四月份花草茂盛,树木郁郁葱葱,便和April联系上了.

May（五月）--the month of Maia

Maia（迈娅）,罗马神话中的五月女神,司掌田园,相当于希腊神话中的女神.

June（六月）--the month of Juno

Juno（朱诺）,罗马神话中的女神,主司婚姻、生育、妇女等事物,相当于希腊神话中的自然女神Hera（赫拉）.

July（七月）--the month of Caesar

Julius Caesar（儒略 恺撒,公元前100-44年）,是古罗马一位著名的将军和政治家,后来成为罗马帝国的独裁者.July是由Julius Caesar而得名.

August（八月）

罗马帝国后来由恺撒的侄子Octavius（渥大维,公元前63-14年）接位,并当了第一位皇帝.他在位时,扩充版图,改革政治,奖励文化艺术.元老院奉予他Augustus“奥古斯都”这一称号,意思是“高贵”.正巧渥大维出生于八月,因此就命名为August.

至于September（九月）,October（十月）,November（十一月）,December（十二月）,在恺撒之前的旧历中分别是第七、第八、第九和第十各月.这些月份的名称都来源于拉丁语中的第七、第八第九和第十这些单词.

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