How did July get its name? | | July and August are prime summer vacation months in the U.S., and the history of their names can be traced back to Roman emperors. | |  | Bennett Kleinman |
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| |  | | "C aesar" is more than the name of a delicious salad — it's also perhaps the most powerful surname in ancient Roman history. Julius Caesar was a famed Roman statesman, and his adopted son Augustus served as the first Roman emperor from 27 BCE to 14 CE. Both men were so important in Roman history that they had months named in their honor, and their legacy is still present in our modern calendar.
When March was the first month of the Roman calendar, July and August were the fifth and sixth months, respectively. At that time, July was called Quintilis (translating to "fifth month" in Latin), while August was known as Sextilis ("sixth month"). These names existed for years until they were both changed during the first century BCE.
After Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BCE, the Romans named a month in his honor. He was born on the 12th day of Quintilis in 100 BCE, so his birth month was renamed Iulius (which was how "Julius" was spelled in Latin before the letter "j" was added to the alphabet in the 17th century).
Emperor Augustus was the one making these name changes, and he decided to rename Sextilis after himself. Over time, as English developed partially from Latin influences, "Iulius/Julius" and "Augustus" turned into "July" and "August," respectively.
Along with the name changes, two months were added to the beginning of the calendar year, and a leap year every four years was created. Julius Caesar made some of the changes, and Augustus made the rest, but it was called "the Julian calendar," which kept time for around 400 years. |
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Emoji Decoded | |  | | Bicyclist | | | Meaning: Indicates a person riding a bicycle. The emoji is depicted in a sporty fashion, but the meaning extends for leisure or transport.
Evolution: The default cyclist is gender neutral, but starting in 2015, people emojis can display as male or female, and with different skin tones. An Emoji ZWJ (pronounced zwidge) Sequence is the coding technique used to layer these aspects onto a base emoji.
Usage: [Selfie on a bike caption:] 🚴 Training for a century ride next month! |
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| | Bicyclist | | | Meaning: Indicates a person riding a bicycle. The emoji is depicted in a sporty fashion, but the meaning extends for leisure or transport.
Evolution: The default cyclist is gender neutral, but starting in 2015, people emojis can display as male or female, and with different skin tones. An Emoji ZWJ (pronounced zwidge) Sequence is the coding technique used to layer these aspects onto a base emoji.
Usage: [Selfie on a bike caption:] 🚴 Training for a century ride next month! |
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Have you read? | |  | | A Deep and Magical Drowning | | By Hester Fox | | Clara, the daughter of a rich merchant, didn't get the message about not following fairy folk, and she's lured into a passionate connection with a stranger. The Dutch merchants have prospered off their magical bargain with the fairy-like sea people, but now it's time to pay the price. This is no Disney musical — Fox's gender-swapped retelling of "The Little Mermaid" is set in the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age, and it's steeped in fantasy and folklore. | | | | Jennifer A. Freeman, Word Smarts Senior Editor | | | | We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. |
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| | A Deep and Magical Drowning | | By Hester Fox | | Clara, the daughter of a rich merchant, didn't get the message about not following fairy folk, and she's lured into a passionate connection with a stranger. The Dutch merchants have prospered off their magical bargain with the fairy-like sea people, but now it's time to pay the price. This is no Disney musical — Fox's gender-swapped retelling of "The Little Mermaid" is set in the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age, and it's steeped in fantasy and folklore. | | | | Jennifer A. Freeman, Word Smarts Senior Editor | | | | We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. |
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You might also like | |  | | | | Why Do We Say "Pair of Pants"? | | We all put our pants on one leg at a time, and even though this is a single item of clothing, we refer to them in the plural. "Pair of pants" comes from an uncommon linguistic quirk. |
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