Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words? February's "National Month" Calendar Events . By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. February, second month of the Gregorian calendar. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. window.fbAsyncInit = function() { It was named after Februalia, the Roman festival of purification. cookie : true, February is American Heart Month Raise awareness about heart health and urge those around you to prevent heart disease. #OurHearts are healthier together. This happens regularly in February, which is more often pronounced \ˈfe-b(y)ə-ˌwer-ē\ than \ˈfe-brə-ˌwer-ē\, though all of these variants are in frequent use and widely accepted. At that time, March 1 became New Year’s Day, but later, in 153 b.c., the beginning of the year was moved to January 1. Join us! 'All Intensive Purposes' or 'All Intents and Purposes'? Dissimilation may occur when a word contains two identical or closely related sounds, resulting in the change or loss of one of them. It is lost to history why January acquired more days, though there are various unverifiable hypotheses. fbl_init(); Corrections? Post the Definition of February to Facebook, Share the Definition of February on Twitter, 'Cordial': A Word Straight from the Heart. Originally, February was the last month of the Roman calendar. Learn ways to get involved. The two new months were both originally 28 days long. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). However, February also hosts women's history and black history month, two important causes that many businesses and non-profits can easily play into. Updates?