febbraio

Forms

febbraio m (uncountable)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin Febrārius, the spoken form of Latin Februārius, short for the month of purification.^[1][2][3] The form without /u/ is found in inscriptions across the empire and in the Appendix Probi;^[4][5] DÉRom reconstructs the Proto-Romance noun from all branches except Dalmatian.^[4][5] The same word is French février, Occitan feurier, Catalan febrer, Spanish febrero, Portuguese fevereiro, Sardinian frealzu and Romanian făurar;^[6][5] German Februar is learned.^[6][5]

The Latin name is formed on februus (“purifying”) according to DELI and GRADIT, and on the plural februa (“purifications”) according to Nocentini, a sacred word without sure cognates; in the Roman calendar it was the month of purification, especially of the fields and the herds.^[2][3][6] DELI suggests that the adjective may be a word from another Italic language.^[2]

The ending -aio is the Tuscan outcome of -ārius;^[2] the rest of Italy has -aro, as in febbraro and the saint's name San Gennaro.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in a Sienese text, Mattasalà, of 1233–1243, for the second month of the year, the third of winter.^[7] DELI's first example is from Muscia da Siena, before 1288.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The Tuscan forms febbraio and gennaio became common to all Italy only between the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century.^[2] Febbraro appears in Paolo Giovio, Ugo Foscolo and Giosuè Carducci;^[2] Gasparo Gozzi wrote febraro and febbraro in the first issues of the Gazzetta veneta in 1760 and febbraio from the fifth on; a notice from Jesi still has 21 Febraro in 1801.^[2]

In the oldest Roman calendar, which began in March, February was the last month.^[8][9][10] Proverbs call it short and cursed, febbraio febbraietto, mese corto e maledetto.^[10]

Timeline

• 1233–1243 – A Sienese text, Mattasalà, has the first record.^[7]
• Before 1288 – Muscia da Siena uses the word.^[2]
• 16th century – The form febbraro is recorded.^[5]
• 1760 – Gasparo Gozzi changes from febraro to febbraio in the Gazzetta veneta.^[2]
• 1801 – A notice from Jesi still dates a day 21 Febraro.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. February, the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, of 28 days, 29 in a leap year: Ci vediamo ai primi di febbraio.^[3][8][9]

Related words

• gennaio
• Latin Februārius
• French février

Usage notes

Febbraro is archaic or regional.^[8][9][11] The plural febbrai is uncommon.^[8][9]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b c De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
4. ^ a b Buchi, Éva; Schweickard, Wolfgang, eds. (2008–), Dictionnaire Étymologique Roman (DÉRom), Nancy: ATILF, http://www.atilf.fr/DERom
5. ^ a b c d e Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1610
6. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
8. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
10. ^ a b Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
11. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana