# February

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈfɛb.ɹʊ.ə.ɹi/ · frequency rank #990

## Definitions
1. The short month following January and preceding March in the Roman, Julian, and Gregorian calendars, used in all three calendars for intercalation or addition of leap days.
2. A female given name transferred from the month name [in turn from English].

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *dʰegʷʰ-der.
Latin februum
Latin Februa
Proto-Indo-European *-yósder.
Proto-Italic *-āsios
Latin -arius
Latin Februāriusder.
Middle English Februarie
English February
From Middle English Februarie, februari, februare, from Latin Februārius (“the month of the Februa”), from Februa (“the Purgings, the Purifications”), a Roman holiday two days after its ides (i.e., Feb. 15), + -arius (“-ary: forming adjectives”). Februa from februum (“purging”), from an earlier Sabine [Term?] word, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“smoke, haze”) and thus cognate with thio- (“sulfurous”) and Ancient Greek θεῖον (theîon, “sulfur”) or from Proto-Indo-European *dʰegʷʰris, an extension of the root *dʰegʷʰ- (“to burn”) and thus cognate with fever and febris. A relatinization abandoning Middle English feoverel, from Old French feverier, which itself displaced Old English solmōnaþ (“mud month”).

## Common misspellings (12)
`efbruary`, `fberuary`, `febbruary`, `febraury`, `febrruary`, `februarry`, `februaryy`, `februayr`, `februray`, `feburary`, `ferbuary`, `ffebruary`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/february