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Aug 1, 2012 · No other month of the Roman calendar owes its name to Etruscan. So why just April? If at the time of presumed borrowing the Latins understood the meaning of apru (Apru), why didn’t they replace it with Venus? All things considered, the Etruscan origin of April is hardly more convincing
Feb 17, 2022 · April is thought to come from the Latin word "aperire," meaning "to open" (this is also the root of "aperture," "aperitif," and even "overture," according to Merriam-Webster ). This might refer to the opening of flowers from buds, according to the British Museum.
April. fourth month, c. 1300, aueril, from Old French avril (11c.), from Latin (mensis) Aprilis, second month of the ancient Roman calendar, from a stem of uncertain origin and meaning, with month-name suffix -ilis as in Quintilis, Sextilis (the old names of July and August). Perhaps based on Apru, an Etruscan borrowing of Greek Aphrodite.
- First, Where Does The Month of April Come from?
- How Did April Get Its Name?
- What Do We Celebrate in April?
The month of Aprilgoes way back. Before January and February were added to the end of the year by King Numa Pompilius around 700 BCE, April was already the second month of the Roman calendar year (March was the first). Around 450 BCE, April was rearranged into the fourth slot, and was assigned 29 days. With the introduction of the Gregoriancalendar...
But, being confident about the origin of a word that’s been around since before 1150 isn’t so simple. There are a few common theories behind April‘s naming. One is that the name is rooted in the Latin Aprilis, which is derived from the Latin aperire meaning “to open”—which could be a reference to the opening or blossoming of flowers and trees, a co...
April is notable for a variety of holidays, including Easter. The exact date for Easter, a movable feast, varies each year. Easter falls on April 17 in 2022 and April 9 in 2023. Easter’s date affects other important Christian observances including Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, and Lent. Earth Day takes place every year on April 22. One...
People also ask
Why is April called APRU?
Why is April called Aprilis?
Where did the word April come from?
Where did Aprilis come from?
- January. January is named after the Roman god Janus. As you can see in this print, he had two faces so he could see the future and the past. He was also the god of doors.
- February. February is named after an ancient Roman festival of purification called Februa.
- March. March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. This statue shows him in battle gear. The Roman calendar originally began in March, and the months of January and February were added later, after a calendar reform.
- April. April takes its name from the Latin word aperire, meaning 'to open' (just like flowers do in spring). Here's a beautifully detailed watercolour drawing of a vase of flowers by French artist Antoine Jules Pelletier.
Apru might be derived from the conjectured Etruscan form of the name, which would be Aprodita, but among the Etruscans, the month was called Cabreas. Some modern linguists derive Aprilis from Etruscan Ampile or Amphile , based on a medieval gloss , conjecturing an origin in the Thessalian month name Aphrios .
Since some of the Roman months were named in honor of divinities, and as April was sacred to the goddess Venus, her Veneralia being held on the first day, it has been suggested that Aprilis was originally her month Aphrilis, from her equivalent Greek goddess name Aphrodite (Aphros), or from the Etruscan name Apru.
