In the northern hemisphere, the days are getting longer, and the cycle of the seasons is starting again. February was originally the last month of the Roman calendar year, right before the beginning of spring. The word February comes from the Latin februa, or “purification.” This was a time to get clean, both physically and spiritually, by dusting and sweeping and washing, and by participating in rites of atonement at the temple to get rid of all of the sins and wrongdoing from the previous year. Many cultures still have a tradition of cleaning the house at the turning of the year and around the world people take advantage of warmer days to open up the windows and shake out the dust of the long winter. The phrase “do a spring cleaning” also implies that you’re getting rid of things you no longer use, as well as cleaning and organizing your home.

You might have also heard the phrase “spring fever.” This refers to an increase in energy that many people feel as the light returns and the season warms, and is often used as an explanation for someone’s impulsive and/or uncharacteristic behavior, such as suddenly deciding to take a day off work for a trip to the beach. The word fever comes from the Latin word for fever, febris, and this is where we get the words febrile (feverish) and febrifuge (something that chases away fever, adding the Latin root fugare, “put to flight”).

Interestingly, the words February, febrile, and febrifuge are the only ones in modern English which start with the letters febr-, yet they come from completely different roots. In addition, while febrile (FEB-rile) and febrifuge (FEB-rih-fyooj) are pronounced with the r-sound enunciated, nearly everyone pronounces February as FEB-you-air-ee rather than FEB-roo-air-ee, and this has become the accepted pronunciation.

We’ll continue to post throughout the year on this Vocabulary Builder’s Blog, giving you new and useful words and their histories, tips on resources to improve your vocabulary study, and information on how to get the most out of your English vocabulary study program. We hope you’re in a fever now to polish your study habits and make your vocabulary shine!

Fun fact: The original Anglo-Saxon word for February was Solmonath, meaning “mud month.”