What do the names of the months mean?

Answer 1

Most months are derived from Latin words or from the names of Roman gods and rulers. January, for instance, comes from Janus, the Roman god of doors and of beginnings and endings. Janus had two faces, one that looked forward and another that looked backward. January was named after Janus because the month looks both at the end of the previous year and the beginning of the new one. February comes from the Latin februare, "to purify." The Latins celebrated the festival of forgiveness for sins on February 15. March is named after Mars, the Roman God of War. April is likely named after the Latin aperire, or "to open," signifying the opening of buds in the spring. May comes from the Roman goddess Maia, a deity associated with fertility. June comes from the goddess Juno, the chief Roman goddess. July is named after Julius Ceasar. August is named for Augustus Ceasar. The last four months are named after numbers. The original Roman calendar had only ten months and began in what is now March, so the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth months of our calendar coincided with the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth months of the Roman calendar. Septem is Latin for "seven," octo is latin for "eight," novem is Latin for "nine," and decem is Latin for "ten."