February

February is the third and last month of meteorological winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

The beginning of the word is commonly pronounced either as /ˈfɛbju-/ ⓘ FEB-yoo- or /ˈfɛbru-/ FEB-roo-; many people drop the first "r", replacing it with /j/, as if it were spelled "Febuary".

The Roman month Februarius was named after the Latin term februum, which means "purification", via the purification ritual Februa held on February 15 (full moon) in the old lunar Roman calendar.

In Czech, it is called únor, meaning month of submerging (of river ice).

In Slovene, February is traditionally called svečan, related to icicles or Candlemas.

[3] In 1848, a proposal was put forward in Kmetijske in rokodelske novice by the Slovene Society of Ljubljana to call this month talnik (related to ice melting), but it did not stick.

[11] Its birth flowers are the violet (Viola), the common primrose (Primula vulgaris),[12] and the Iris.

[13] Its birthstone is the amethyst, which symbolizes piety, humility, spiritual wisdom, and sincerity.