While manySlavic languages officially use Latin-derived names for themonths of the year in theGregorian calendar, there is also a set of older names for the twelve months that differs from the Latin month names, as they are of Slavic origin. In some languages, such as theSerbian language these traditional names have since beenarchaized and are thus seldom used.
The original names of the months of the year in the Slavic languages closely follow natural occurrences such as weather patterns and conditions common for that period, as well as agricultural activities.
Many months have several alternative names in different regions; conversely, a single "Slavic name" may correspond to different "Roman names" (for different months, usually following each other) in different languages.
The Slavic names of the months have been preserved by a number of Slavic people in a variety of languages. The conventional month names in some of these languages are mixed, including names which show the influence of theGermanic calendar (particularly Slovene, Sorbian, and Polabian)[1] or names which are borrowed from theGregorian calendar (particularly Polish and Kashubian), but they have been included here nonetheless.
In Latvian and Lithuanian, the Baltic names of the months are preserved, which partially coincide with the Slavic ones, which suggests that some of these names may date back to the time ofBalto-Slavic linguistic unity. Latvian and Lithuanian names are also shown in this table for comparison.
Words are colored according to etymology.
| Language | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belarusian | студзень studzen′ | люты ljuty | сакавік sakavik | красавік krasavik | май* maj* | чэрвень čèrven′ | ліпень lipen′ | жнівень žniven′ | верасень verasen′ | кастрычнік kastryčnik | лістапад listapad | снежань snežan′ |
| травень traven′ | ||||||||||||
| Ukrainian | січень sičeń | лютий ljutyj | березень berezen′ | квітень kviten′ | червень červen′ | липень lypen′ | серпень serpen′ | вересень veresen′ | жовтень žovten′ | листопад lystopad | грудень hruden′ | |
| лютень ljuten’ | ||||||||||||
| Rusyn | лютый ljutyj | цвітень cviten′ | жолтень žolten′ | |||||||||
| Russian[a] archaic | сечень sečenʹ | лютень ljutenʹ | березозол berezozol | цветень (цвѣтень) cvetenʹ | липец (липецъ) lipec | листопад (листопадъ) listopad | грудень grudenʹ | студень studenʹ | ||||
| Old East Slavic | стоудѣнь studěnʹ | снежѣнь snežěnʹ | соухїй suhij | берѣзолъ berězolŭ | травѣнь travěnʹ | чѣрвѣнь čěrvěnʹ | липѣнь lipenʹ | сѣрпѣнь sěrpěnʹ | версѣнь versěnʹ | осень osenʹ | листопадъ listopadŭ | гроудѣнь gruděnʹ |
| Old Church Slavonic | просиньць prosinĭcĭ | сѣчьнъ sěčĭnŭ | соухъ suhŭ | брѣзьнъ brězĭnŭ | трѣвьнъ trěvĭnŭ | изокъ izokŭ | чръвлѥнꙑи črŭvljenyi | заревъ zarevŭ | роуинъ ruinŭ | листопадъ listopadŭ | гроудьнъ grudĭnŭ | стоуденъ studenŭ |
| Bulgarian archaic | сечен sečen | люти ljuti | сухи suhi | брезен brezen | тревен treven | изок izok | червен červen | зарев zarev | руен ruen | листопад listopad | груден gruden | просинец prosinec |
| Macedonian archaic | коложег koložeg | сечко sečko | цутар cutar | тревен treven | косар kosar | жетвар žetvar | златец zlatec | житар žitar | гроздобер grozdober | студен studen | снежник snežnik | |
| Serbian archaic | дерикожа derikoža | лажитрава lažitrava | цветањ cvetanj | трешњар trešnjar | жетвар žetvar | гумник gumnik | коледар* koledar* | |||||
| Croatian | siječanj | veljača | ožujak | travanj | svibanj | lipanj | srpanj | kolovoz | rujan | studeni | prosinac | |
| Slovene archaic | prosinec | svečan | sušec | mali traven | veliki traven | rožnik | mali srpan | veliki srpan | kimavec | vinotok | listopad | gruden |
| Slovak archaic | veľký sečeň | malý sečeň | brezen (brezeň) | duben (dubeň) | květen (kveteň) | lipen (lipeň) | klasen (klaseň) | srpen (srpeň) | malý rujen | veľký rujen | mrazen (mrazeň) | |
| ľadeň | sečeň | |||||||||||
| Czech | leden | únor | březen | červen | červenec | září | říjen | prosinec | ||||
| Polish | styczeń | luty | marzec* | kwiecień | maj* | czerwiec | lipiec | sierpień | wrzesień | październik | grudzień | |
| brzezień (archaic) | trawień (archaic) | |||||||||||
| łżykwiat (archaic) | ||||||||||||
| Kashubian | stëcznik | gromicznik | strëmiannik | łżëkwiat | môj* | czerwińc | lëpińc | zélnik | séwnik | rujan | lëstopadnik | gòdnik |
| luti | kwiecéń | miodownik | serzpiéń | wrzeseń | pazdzérznik | grëdzéń | ||||||
| Lower Sorbian archaic | wezymski | swěckowny | pózymski | jatšownik | rozhelony | smažki | žnjojski | jacmjeński | požnjenc | winski | młośny | zymski |
| Upper Sorbian archaic | wulki róžk | mały róžk | nalětnik | jutrownik | róžownik | smažnik | pražnik | žnjenc | winowc | nazymnik | hodownik | |
| Polabian extinct | ledemån | rüzac | zürmån | chåidemån | laisemån | pąťustemån | zeminik | haimån | jisinmån | vaińamån | zaimamån | trübnemån |
| Lithuanian non-Slavic | sausis | vasaris | kovas | balandis | gegužė | birželis | liepa | rugpjūtis | rugsėjis | spalis | lapkritis | gruodis |
| Latvian archaic, non-Slavic | ziemas | sveču | sērsnu | sulu | lapu | ziedu | liepu | rudzu | viršu (silu) | veļu | salnas | vilku |
* word of non-Slavic or non-Baltic origin
TheCroatian months used with theGregorian calendar byCroats differ from the originalLatin month names. While subject to variation over the earlier centuries, their names and order have been standardised in 1830s through the efforts of theIllyrian movement and its chief linguistVjekoslav Babukić.[12]
| No. | Latin name | English name | Croatian name | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ianuarius | January | sijȇčanj | from cutting or hewing wood[13] but there are also dialectal termssvečan, svičen, sičan that have a meaning 'festive', so there is a possibility of a meaning 'festive month' (as there are several holidays celebrated in January)[14] |
| 2 | Februarius | February | vèljača | month in which days become longer,oveljiti se = to get bigger;[15] or to wallow, to rollvaljati, to indicate unstable weather[16] |
| 3 | Martius | March | òžujak | lying month (laž>ož;laž = a lie), because the weather changes often[17][18] |
| 4 | Aprilis | April | trȃvanj | from growing grass,trava[19] |
| 5 | Maius | May | svȋbanj | from buddingCornel treesvib[20] |
| 6 | Iunius | June | lȋpanj | fromlinden tree,lipa[21] |
| 7 | Iulius | July | sȓpanj | from reaping with a sickle,srp[22] |
| 8 | Augustus | August | kȍlovōz | from driving a wagon (for harvest) — wheelkolo + drivevoz[23] |
| 9 | September | September | rȗjan | from an archaic verb for deer roaring[24] or from a poetic word for blushing, rosy[25] |
| 10 | October | October | lȉstopād | from falling leaves — leaflist + fallpadati[26] |
| 11 | November | November | stùdenī | from cold,studen[27] |
| 12 | December | December | pròsinac | the beginning of the Sun's shining, to dawnsinuti;[28] or fromsinji, greyish blue color[29] |
The names ofCzech months are, as in Belarusian, Croatian, Kashubian, Polish, and Ukrainian, not based on the Latin names used in most European languages. Thesuffix-en is added to most of the months' names.
| No. | Latin name | English name | Czech name | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ianuarius | January | leden | Fromled, "ice". |
| 2. | Februarius | February | únor | Probably from the word root-nor-, infinitive formnořit (se), "to plunge, to welter", as the ice welters under the lake surface. |
| 3. | Martius | March | březen | Either frombříza, "birch", or frombřezí, "gravid, with young", as the forest animals, mainly hares and rabbits, are pregnant at that time.[30] |
| 4. | Aprilis | April | duben | Derived fromdub, "oak". |
| 5. | Maius | May | květen | Fromkvět, "blossom". Originallymáj, "May". The wordkvěten first appeared inJungmann's translation ofAtala from 1805 as a poetism and translation forFrenchlune de fleurs (month of flowers), but quickly gained acceptance. Jungmann was probably also influenced by the Polish wordkwiecień ("April"). |
| 6. | Iunius | June | červen | Either fromčervený, "red", or fromčerv, "worm", both related to fruit. |
| 7. | Iulius | July | červenec | The same asčerven with a diminutive suffixec, lit. "small červen". |
| 8. | Augustus | August | srpen | Fromsrp, "sickle" - used for harvesting. |
| 9. | September | September | září | From Old Czechzářij, fromza říje. (Seeříjen.) Folk etymology derives it fromzářit, "to blaze, glow, radiate, shine". |
| 10. | October | October | říjen | Fromříje, "rutting", the time when the – mainly deer – males want to couple. |
| 11. | November | November | listopad | Literally "leaf-fall". |
| 12. | December | December | prosinec | Either fromprosit, "to pray, beg, to ask, to plead", possibly relating to holidays at this time, or fromprosinalý, "pallid", fromsiný, deep blue, because the sky is usually pallid at this time. |
TheMacedonian language has two sets of names of the months of theGregorian calendar. The most commonly used set of names is derived from theLatin month names and these are used by the vast majority of theMacedonian population. However, there is also a set of older names for the twelve months ofSlavic origin that differ from the Latin month names, although their usage isarchaized and largely restricted to folk literature and religious calendars issued by theMacedonian Orthodox Church.
The origin of the Macedonian month names is closely related to theagricultural activities that occur in the corresponding period, or to theweather conditions common for that period. Some months have alternative names in different regions. The usage of modern Latin month names among Macedonians started towards the end of the19th century, as a result of mass education.
| No. | Latin name | English name | Macedonian Cyrillic | Macedonian Latin | Old Macedonian name | Transliteration | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ianuarius | January | Јануари | Januari | Коложег | Koložeg | Month of burning tree trunks |
| 2. | Februarius | February | Февруари | Fevruari | Сечко | Sečko | Month of ice |
| 3. | Martius | March | Март | Mart | Цутар | Cutar | Month of blossoming |
| 4. | Aprilis | April | Април | April | Тревен | Treven | Month of grass |
| 5. | Maius | May | Мај | Maj | Косар | Kosar | Time of flowering grasses and shrubs |
| 6. | Iunius | June | Јуни | Juni | Жетвар | Žetvar | Time of maturity of the first yield of fruits |
| 7. | Iulius | July | Јули | Juli | Златец | Zlatec | Golden month |
| 8. | Augustus | August | Август | Avgust | Житар | Žitar | Month of wheat |
| 9. | September | September | Септември | Septemvri | Гроздобер | Grozdober | Month of harvesting grapes |
| 10. | October | October | Октомври | Oktomvri | Листопад | Listopad | Month of leaves falling |
| 11. | November | November | Ноември | Noemvri | Студен | Studen | Month of cold |
| 12. | December | December | Декември | Dekemvri | Снежник | Snežnik | Month of snow |
The names ofPolish months are, as in Belarusian, Croatian, Czech, Kashubian, and Ukrainian, not based on the Latin names used in most European languages, with the exception of March and May, which were borrowed from theGregorian calendar.
| No. | Latin name | English name | Polish name | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ianuarius | January | styczeń | Inherited fromOld Polishsieczeń, fromProto-Slavic*sěčьnь (“winter month of cutting wood”), derived from Proto-Slavic*sěča (“cutting wood”), from Proto-Slavic*sěťi (“to cut”), with -ty- possibly by influence from the wordtyka (“pole, rod, branch, beam”).[31] |
| 2. | Februarius | February | luty | Inherited from Old Polishluty, from Proto-Slavic*ľutъ (“harsh, cruel, severe”).[32] |
| 3. | Martius | March | marzec | Borrowed fromMiddle High Germanmarz, fromOld High Germanmerzo, fromLatinMārtius (“of or belonging to Mars, the god of war”). Diplaced Old Polishbrzezień.[33] |
| 4. | Aprilis | April | kwiecień | Inherited from Proto-Slavic*květьnь, derived from Proto-Slavic*květъ (“flower”). Diplaced Old Polishłżykwiat.[34] |
| 5. | Maius | May | maj | Borrowed from LatinMaius (“of or belonging to Maia, the goddess of growth”). Diplaced Old Polishtrawień.[35] |
| 6. | Iunius | June | czerwiec | Inherited from Old Polishczyrwiec. By surface analysis, fromczerw (“maggot; red dye made from bugs”) +-iec. Diplaced Old Polishczyrwień possibly under influence ofmarzec and laterlipiec.[36] |
| 7. | Iulius | July | lipiec | Inherited from Proto-Slavic*lipьcь. By surface analysis, fromlipa (“linden, lime-tree, basswood”) +-iec. Diplaced Old Polishlipień.[37] |
| 8. | Augustus | August | sierpień | Inherited from Proto-Slavic*sŕ̥pьnь. By surface analysis, fromsierp (“sickle”) +-eń.[38] |
| 9. | September | September | wrzesień | Derived fromwrzos (“heather”) +-eń.[39] |
| 10. | October | October | październik | Derived frompaździerz (“boon, hurds, shives, shoves”) +-nik.[40] |
| 11. | November | November | listopad | Inherited from Proto-Slavic*listopadъ. By surface analysis, fromliść (“leaf”) +-o- +padać (“to fall”).[41] |
| 12. | December | December | grudzień | Inherited from Proto-Slavic*grudьnъ. By surface analysis, fromgruda (“clod, heap, lump”) +-eń.[42] |
The names ofRussian months used with theGregorian calendar by vast majority of theRussian population. The most of names for the twelve months ofSlavic origin that is differ from theLatin month names and standardized set of archaic that issued byOld Church Slavonic.
| No. | Latin name | English name | Russian Cyrillic | Russian Latin | Russian name[a] (archaic) | Transliteration | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ianuarius | January | Январь | Janvar' | Сечень | Sečen' | Month of cutting wood |
| 2. | Februarius | February | Февраль | Fevral' | Лютень | Ljuten' | Month of harshing |
| 3. | Martius | March | Март | Mart | Берeзозол | Berezozol | Month of birch |
| 4. | Aprilis | April | Апрель | Aprel' | Цветень (Цвѣтень) | Cveten' | Month of blossoming |
| 5. | Maius | May | Май | Maj | Травень | Traven' | Month of grass |
| 6. | Iunius | June | Июнь | Ijun' | Червень | Červen' | Month of gules |
| 7. | Iulius | July | Июль | Ijul' | Липец (Липецъ) | Lipec | Month of linden tree |
| 8. | Augustus | August | Август | Avgust | Серпень | Serpen' | Month of sickle |
| 9. | September | September | Сентябрь | Sentjabr' | Вересень | Veresen' | Month of heather |
| 10. | October | October | Октябрь | Oktjabr' | Листопад (Листопадъ) | Listopad | Month of leaves falling |
| 11. | November | November | Ноябрь | Nojabr' | Грудень | Gruden' | Month of heap |
| 12. | December | December | Декабрь | Dekabr' | Студень | Studen' | Month of cold |
Many of the names in the standardized set of archaicSlovene month names first occur in theŠkofja Loka manuscript, written in 1466 byMartin of Loka.[43]
| No. | Latin name | English name | Slovene name | Slovene name (archaic) | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ianuarius | January | januar | prosinec | '(sun) shining through';[44][45] |
| 2. | Februarius | February | februar | svečan | perhaps 'dry' or 'cut' (influenced bysvečnica 'Candlemas');[44][45] |
| 3. | Martius | March | marec | sušec | '(earth) dry (enough for cultivation)';[44][45] |
| 4. | Aprilis | April | april | mali traven | 'small grass';[44][45] |
| 5. | Maius | May | maj | veliki traven | 'large grass';[44][45] |
| 6. | Iunius | June | junij | rožnik | 'flowers' (a translation of GermanRosenmonat);[44][45] |
| 7. | Iulius | July | julij | mali srpan | 'small sickle' (i.e., reaping);[44][45] |
| 8. | Augustus | August | avgust | veliki srpan | 'large sickle' (i.e., reaping);[44][45] |
| 9. | September | September | september | kimavec | 'nodding (fruit)';[45] |
| 10. | October | October | oktober | vinotok | 'wine flowing' (a translation of GermanWeinmonat);[44][45] |
| 11. | November | November | november | listopad | 'falling leaves';[44][45] |
| 12. | December | December | december | gruden | 'biting (cold)'[44] or 'clumped (earth)';[45] |
The names ofUkrainian months are not based on the Latin names used in most European languages. Latin names are not used at all, though it's possible to hear distorted versions of Russian or Polish names insurzhyk sometimes. Thesuffix-en is added to most of the months' names.
| № | Months | Transliteration | Etymology | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English name | Ukrainian name | |||
| 1. | January | січень | sichen | Derives fromUkrainian:січище, січа –place, cleared from trees and plants, which is itself derived fromOld East Slavic:сѣча (of the same meaning).[46] It is a reference toslash-and-burn agricultural practice.[47][48] |
| 2. | February | лютий (arch.лютень) | liutyi (liuten) | Derives fromUkrainian:лютий –fierce, savage. It was called so due to an extremely cold temperatures.[49] Both names were used simultaneously up to the first half of the XX century, but the simplified adjective form prevailed eventually.[50][51][52][53] |
| 3. | March | березень | berezen | Derives fromUkrainian:береза –birch. Birches usually begin to bloom in the end of March, which is also a time of abirch sap collection.[54] |
| 4. | April | квітень | kviten | Derives fromUkrainian:квіт, цвіт –bloom. It was called so due to the intensive blooming of most known species of flowers, growing in Ukraine. It is also has connections with the birch bloom.[55] |
| 5. | May | травень | traven | FromUkrainian:трава –grass. The name comes from various grasses that abundantly cover the earth with green growth in this months. |
| 6. | June | червень | cherven | FromUkrainian:червець –cochineal, a bug active in the first half of summer. The month used to share this name with the bug previously. |
| 7. | July | липень | lypen | FromUkrainian:липа –linden. This name is associated with the exuberant flowering of linden trees and the period of collecting linden honey. |
| 8. | August | серпень | serpen | FromUkrainian:серп –sickle. This month marks the start of grain harvest in Ukraine.Sickle is the most known tool used in this process. |
| 9. | September | вересень | veresen | FromUkrainian:верес –heather.[56]Heather is ahoney plant, which usually begins to bloom in the start of this month. |
| 10. | October | жовтень | zhovten | FromUkrainian:жовте –yellow. This names comes fromautumn yellowing of leaves. |
| 11. | November | листопад | lystopad | Literally meansleaf-fall. It is a combination ofUkrainian wordsлистя andпад –leaves andfall respectively. |
| 12. | December | грудень | hruden | FromUkrainian:грудка –lump. A reference to snow conditions of this month. |
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