יָנוּאָר (yanuar) — January

Etymology

The names of the months of the Gregorian calendar entered Hebrew via Yiddish rather than directly from Latin or from any of the other European languages. This is why Modern Hebrew says יָנוּאָר (like Yiddish יאַנואַר) rather than the English "January," the Russian "Yanvar," the French "Janvier," or the Arabic "Yanāyir" — all of which derive from the same Latin source but through different phonological evolution. The Hebrew borrowing follows the Yiddish-German pronunciation closely, with the single exception of September, which Hebrew calls ספטמבר (following Yiddish סעפּטעמבּער) rather than the German Zeptember.

All European month-names ultimately derive from the Roman Republican calendar, the oldest substantial evidence for which is a calendar found at Antium (modern Anzio), a Roman colony about 50 km south of Rome, dated to the mid-1st century BCE. Most of the month names visible on that calendar are the Latin names that eventually became today's European month names.

January — Ianuarius in Latin — was named for the Roman god Ianus (Janus), the deity of beginnings, doorways, gates, and transitions. Janus was depicted with two faces, one looking forward into the future and one backward into the past. The Rabbis were familiar with the Roman month: the Jerusalem Talmud (Avodah Zarah 1:3) refers to it as יינובריס — a heavily Aramaicized transcription of the Latin. February (Februarius) probably takes its name from the Latin februum, a ritual purification instrument, connected to purification rites held around the middle of that month. March (Martius) was named for Mars, the Roman god of war. April (Aprilis) has an unclear etymology: the Romans connected it to the verb aperio (to open, referring to the opening of flowers in spring), but scholars more plausibly derive it from a corrupted form of the name of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, perhaps filtered through Etruscan. May (Maius) was named for the fertility goddess Maia, and June (Iunius) for Iuno (Juno), goddess of marriage and motherhood.

The months July and August bear the names of historical persons. July (originally Quintilis, "the fifth") was renamed in honor of Julius Caesar after his assassination in 44 BCE. August (originally Sextilis, "the sixth") was renamed eight years after Caesar's death for Augustus, the first Roman emperor, who had taken the honorific augustus ("revered") in 31 BCE after winning the civil war following Caesar's murder. The months September (7th), October (8th), November (9th), and December (10th) retain their Latin numerical names — names that no longer match their position in the calendar because the Roman year originally began in March, not January. This discrepancy was noticed by the Romans themselves, who attributed the original 10-month calendar to the legendary founder Romulus (son of Mars), and its 12-month revision to the legendary second king Numa Pompilius, who supposedly added January and February and moved January to first position without renaming the numbered months.

Key Quotes

"את שמות החודשים הלועזיים, העברית לקחה מן היידיש ולכן אנחנו קוראים לחודש הראשון יָנוּאָר כמו בשפה זאת" — Elon Gilad, Mehe-Safah Penimah

Timeline

• Ancient Rome: 10-month calendar beginning in March attributed to Romulus
• ~713 BCE (traditional): Numa Pompilius adds January and February; year begins in January
• Mid-1st century BCE: Antium calendar documents Ianuarius as first month
• 44 BCE: Quintilis renamed July in honor of Julius Caesar
• 8 BCE: Sextilis renamed August in honor of Emperor Augustus
• ~2nd century CE: Jerusalem Talmud refers to January as יינובריס
• Medieval–early modern: Month names transmitted through Yiddish from Latin via German
• 19th–20th century: Hebrew revivalists adopt Yiddish forms for Gregorian month names
• Present: יָנוּאָר is the standard Hebrew name for January

Related Words

• פֶבְרוּאָר — February (from Latin februum, purification)
• מָרְץ / מָרֵס — March (from Latin Martius, the month of Mars)
• אַפְרִיל — April (from Latin Aprilis)
• מַאי — May (from Latin Maius, the month of Maia)
• יוּנִי — June (from Latin Iunius, the month of Juno)
• יוּלִי — July (named for Julius Caesar)
• אוֹגוּסְט — August (named for Emperor Augustus)