n.
Pronunciation: ' fe-b(y) ə - ˌ wer- ē , ' fe-br ə -
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ar · ies or -ar · ys
Etymology: Middle English Februarie, from Old English Februarius, from Latin, from Februa, plural, feast of purification
Date: before 12th century
: the second month of the Gregorian calendar
usage Dissimilation may occur when a word contains two identical or closely related sounds, resulting in the change or loss of one of them. This happens regularly in February, which is more often pronounced \ ' fe-b(y) ə - ˌ wer- ē \ than \ ' fe-br ə - ˌ wer- ē \ , though all of these variants are in frequent use and widely accepted. The \ y \ heard from many speakers is not an intrusion but rather a common pronunciation of the vowel u after a consonant, as in January and annual.