months
/mʌnθs/
noun
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*mḗnōt — moon, month
Overview
Meaning Now
- plural of month; periods of time, approximately four weeks or thirty days long, occurring twelve times in a calendar year.
Literal older meaning
plural of moon-period
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
monaþ
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The word is etymologically tied to the moon ('moon' and 'month' share the same root). Historically, many calendar systems defined the month based on the lunar cycle (synodic month).
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*mḗnōt
“moon or month”
- Proto-Germanic
*mēnōþs
“month”
- Old English
mōnaþ
“month”
masculine noun
- Middle English
moneth
“month”
pluralization emerges
- Early Modern English
moneths
“months”
- Modern English
months
“months”
Connections
Word parts
month
root
period associated with the moon
-s
ending
plural suffix
Related across languages
German
Monat
month
Dutch
maand
month
Old Norse
mānaþr
month
Explore next
Related to months
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.