Etymologically
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august

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ɔːˈɡʌst/, US /ɑːˈɡʌst/, /ɔːˈɡʌst/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French auguste or directly borrowed from Latin augustus (“venerable, majestic, noble; consecrated”),[2][3][4] perhaps originally “consecrated by the augurs, with favourable auguries”, related to augur,[5][4][6] or, according to de Vaan, “that which is increased”, from augeō (“to increase”), the source of augment.[5][7][8] Augustus was assumed as a title by the Roman emperors after Julius Caesar.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Inspiring reverence and admiration: 1664,[4][9] or the 1660s;[5] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1581,[6][10] and the HTOED to 1594.[11]

Semantic evolution

“Venerable by birth or position, dignified” is from 1673.[9][2] A rare verb august, “to ripen”, after French aoûter, is recorded from 1693.[9][2]

Timeline

  • 1581 – adjective (Merriam-Webster).[6]
  • 1664 – inspiring reverence.[4][9]
  • 1673 – of stately dignity.[9]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Inspiring awe or admiration; majestic.
  2. Venerable because of age or high rank.

Word family

  • augustly
  • augustness

Usage notes

The month August, stressed on the first syllable, is the same Latin word, the sixth month of the later Roman calendar, renamed from Sextilis in 8 BC in honour of the emperor Augustus;[5][2] in Old English it replaced the native Wēodmōnaþ “weed month”.[5][4] The adjective is stressed on the second syllable.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  5. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  9. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  10. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  11. ^ Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)