February

 
Pronunciation: /ˈfɛbrʊəri, ˈfɛbjʊəri/

noun (plural Februaries)

  • the second month of the year, in the northern hemisphere usually considered the last month of winter: even in February the place is busy the coldest February in 40 years

Origin:

Middle English feverer, from Old French feverier, based on Latin februarius, from februa, the name of a purification feast held in this month. The spelling change in the 15th century was due to association with the Latin word

Note that February is spelled with an r following the Feb-. Precise speakers insist that this r should be pronounced, but this is not easy, and most people replace the r following Feb- with a y sound: Feb-yoo- rather than Feb-roo-. This is now becoming the accepted standard.