Czech months

The names of Czech months are, as in Polish, Croatian, Ukrainian and Belarusian not based on the Latin names used in most European languages. The suffix -en is added to most of the months' names.

  • January -- leden (from led, ice)
  • February -- únor (probably from the word root -nor-, infinitive form nořit (se), to plunge, to welter, as the ice welters under the lake surface)
  • March -- březen (either from bříza, birch, or from březí, gravid, with young etc., as the forest animals, mainly hares and rabbits, are pregnant at that time)[1]
  • April -- duben (derived from dub, oak)
  • May -- květen (from květ, blossom), originally máj. The word květen first appeared in Jungmann's translation of Atala from 1805 as a poetism and translation for French lune de fleurs (month of flowers), but quickly gained acceptance. Jungmann was probably also influenced by the Polish word kwiecień ("April").
  • June -- červen (either from červený, red, or from červ, worm, both related to fruit)
  • July -- červenec (the same as červen with a diminutive suffix ec)
  • August -- srpen (from srp, sickle)
  • September -- září (lit. "it shines", but most likely from říje (rutting), the time when the - mainly deer - males want to couple)
  • October -- říjen (from říje, see September)
  • November -- listopad (literally "leaf-fall")
  • December -- prosinec (either from prosit to beg, or to ask for ones's hand in marriage, to ask, to plead, but more probably from prosinalý, pallid, because the sky is usually pallid at this time)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Template:R:Machek 1968
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