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February

Feb·ru·ar·y [ fébbroo èrree, fébbyoo èrree ] (plural Feb·ru·ar·ies)


noun 
Definition:
 
2nd month of Gregorian calendar: in the Gregorian calendar, the second month of the year, lasting 28 days or, in leap years, 29 days

[14th century. Via Old French feverier< Latin februarius (mensis) "(month) of purification"; from an annual Roman festival]

The generally preferred pronunciation of February is /fébbroo èrree, /, in which the first r is sounded. The variant pronunciation, to which some people object, is /fébbyoo èrree, /, in which the first r is dropped. This dropping of r is an example of a normal process that happens when some speakers are confronted with the repeated occurrence of the same sound within a word. Finding it difficult to articulate both sounds, especially when trying to say a word fast, some speakers will simply drop one of the two sounds. It is also possible that the variant pronunciation of February was influenced by the pronunciation /jánnyoo èrree, / for January.

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