May in languages of Europe

[brennus dux gallorum]

It sounds like "touch the ass" or "I'm with the ass" in Portuguese.

Very similar to Greek "of the ass"

[Mens-Sarda]

Months names, from Latin to Sardinian


1) Januarius - Ghennarzu, Ghennarju, Bennarzu

After 2000 years the original name Januarius changed to Januariu -> Jenuariu -> Jennariu -> Ghennariu -> Ghennarju -> Ghennarzu or Bennarzu

2) Februarius - Frearzu, Frebarzu, Frearju

Etymology : Februarius -> Februariu -> Frebariu -> Freariu -> Frearju -> Frearzu

3) Martius - Martu, Martzu

4) Aprilis - Aprile, Abrile, Avrile

Etymology : from the accusative Aprilem -> Aprile -> Abrile -> Avrile

5) Majus - Maju

6) Junius - Làmpadas

Etymology : The name Lampadas (Lamps) comes from the Lamps and Fires lighted during the holiday of Santu Juanne (Saint John)

7) Julius - Trìulas

Etymology : The name Trìulas (threshes) comes from the verb Triulare (to thresh), because July is traditionally the month of threshing.

8) Augustus - Austu

9)September - Caputanni, Capitanni, Cabudanni, Cabidanni

Etymology : The Sardinian name comes from Latin "Caput-Capitis" (head, beginning) + Anni (of the year), genitive of Annus (year); the reason for this name is that in the old Julian calendar September was the first month of the agricultural year. Still nowadays in Sardinia sheperds and farmers in their work use September as first month.

10) October - Santu Gaìne, Santu Gabìne, Santu Gavìne

Etymology : The Sardinian name comes from the Sardinian saint and martyr Gabinius. He was a Roman officer in service in the city of Turris Libisonis (actual Porto Torres) killed during the persecutions of the Emperor Diocletianus for having hidden the bishop Januarius and the deacon Prothus, Gabinius himself became christian and was killed with the other two martyrs the 25 of October. The three saints are today known as The Three Turritan Martyrs and are the more venerated saints of northern Sardinia.

The Sardinian name of the saint evolved from the Latin vocative Gabìnie -> Gabìne -> Gavìne -> Gaìne

11) November - Santu Andrìa (Saint Andrews)

12) December - Nadale (Nativity)

[Schüreck]

The Czech word for May means April in Polish...

[ovidiu]

I've seen maps like this before for different words. They're always interesting.

It sounds like "touch the ass" or "I'm with the ass" in Portuguese.

Haha I get it, toco cu.

I would've thought Estonian would be along the lines of Finnish too.

Anyway the words for months across European languages aren't always the most revealing of the language itself, because they were often borrowed from Latin at some point in the Middle Ages or early modern era, so they're essentially pretty "uniform" across the continent. But I guess the few exceptions do indicate some interesting things.

Months names, from Latin to Sardinian


1) Januarius - Ghennarzu, Ghennarju, Bennarzu

After 2000 years the original name Januarius changed to Januariu -> Jenuariu -> Jennariu -> Ghennariu -> Ghennarju -> Ghennarzu or Bennarzu

2) Februarius - Frearzu, Frebarzu, Frearju

Etymology : Februarius -> Februariu -> Frebariu -> Freariu -> Frearju -> Frearzu

3) Martius - Martu, Martzu

4) Aprilis - Aprile, Abrile, Avrile

Etymology : from the accusative Aprilem -> Aprile -> Abrile -> Avrile

5) Majus - Maju

6) Junius - Làmpadas

Etymology : The name Lampadas (Lamps) comes from the Lamps and Fires lighted during the holiday of Santu Juanne (Saint John)

7) Julius - Trìulas

Etymology : The name Trìulas (threshes) comes from the verb Triulare (to thresh), because July is traditionally the month of threshing.

8) Augustus - Austu

9)September - Caputanni, Capitanni, Cabudanni, Cabidanni

Etymology : The Sardinian name comes from Latin "Caput-Capitis" (head, beginning) + Anni (of the year), genitive of Annus (year); the reason for this name is that in the old Julian calendar September was the first month of the agricultural year. Still nowadays in Sardinia sheperds and farmers in their work use September as first month.

10) October - Santu Gaìne, Santu Gabìne, Santu Gavìne

Etymology : The Sardinian name comes from the Sardinian saint and martyr Gabinius. He was a Roman officer in service in the city of Turris Libisonis (actual Porto Torres) killed during the persecutions of the Emperor Diocletianus for having hidden the bishop Januarius and the deacon Prothus, Gabinius himself became christian and was killed with the other two martyrs the 25 of October. The three saints are today known as The Three Turritan Martyrs and are the more venerated saints of northern Sardinia.

The Sardinian name of the saint evolved from the Latin vocative Gabìnie -> Gabìne -> Gavìne -> Gaìne

11) November - Santu Andrìa (Saint Andrews)

12) December - Nadale (Nativity)

Yeah that brings up a point about the difference between some of the official/standard names for months and the more "popular" (in the sense of "folk" or usage by "the common people", today in particular rustic/rural populations, and naturally transmitted over generations orally rather than learned at school as the "correct" form). Romanian has these distinctions, although the old names for months are fading away somewhat in the last few generations, especially those in cities without close links to the country or peasantry.

January is normally ianuarie but can be called gerar alternatively as a folk name (from the word for frost, ger), or as an even rarer/more archaic term cărindar (Lat. calendarium, to mark the beginning of the calendar year)
February is februarie but alternatively făurar
March is martie but also mărțișor (diminutive, also the name of a holiday) or older marț, or very rare germănar (from Lat. germen, like the French Republican calendar month Germinal)
April- aprilie / prier
May- mai / florar (from flowers, because everything is blooming- April showers bring May flowers)
June- iunie / cireșar (from the word for cherry cireașă- also interestingly found in Albanian qershor, their name for June, which was either adopted from eastern Vulgar Latin or borrowed from proto-Romanian)
July- iulie / cuptor (the word for oven (from Lat. coctorium), I guess cause of the heat) / alunar (now completely obsolete, from alună- hazelnut)
August- august / gustar (archaically gust or agust) / măsălar (possibly linked to Latin messis "harvest")
September- septembrie / răpciune (uncertain etymology, possibly referring to "taking") / vinicer (maybe linked to vineyards)
October- octombrie / brumărel (diminutive of the following month's folk name)
November- noiembrie / brumar (Lat. brumarius, referring to bruma or frost/winter) / promorar (from another word for hoarfrost, it's mostly Moldovan and rare) / iezmăciune (not sure about this one, maybe linked to a word meaning an evil spirit)
December- decembrie / andrea or undrea or îndrea, also from Saint Andrew (Sanctus Andreas), maybe because his holy day is at the very end of November and maybe traditionally was associated more with the following month, or because the old calendar was different? other folk names include neios (from Lat. nivosus, snowy) and ningău (from ninge, verb meaning to snow)

some of the alternative folk/popular forms are simply the older, inherited versions of the Latin word (the standard/official ones often use Greek or Church (South) Slavonic intermediates) while others are named based on other things, like the weather or farming. I think the reason there are so many folk variants is that Romanian formed organically through various dialects and was only standardized around a century and a half ago.

Seems Sardinian kept a blend of the the traditional names for months and some folk derived ones, unlike the other western continental Romance tongues. Maybe because it was relatively isolated.

[NSXD60]

A bit off topic but July in Continental French is juillet (pr. zhwee-yè); however, Louisiana French has mostly kept the pronunciation from the 1600's: julliett (pr. zhul-yet)