# "Wednesday" -- Why the funky spelling? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 3, 2000, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wednesday-why-the-funky-spelling/6890 "2000-02-03T16:53:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2000, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wednesday-why-the-funky-spelling/6890/21 "2000-02-07T16:18:00Z")
From Mirriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary: > [@](#): > > Main Entry: Feb·ru·ary > Pronunciation: ÷’fe-b(y)&-"wer-E, 'fe-br&- > Function: noun > Inflected Form(s): plural -ar·ies or -ar·ys > Etymology: Middle English Februarie, from Old English Februarius, from Latin, from Februa, plural, feast of purification > Date: before 12th century > : the 2d month of the Gregorian calendar > **usage** Dissimilation may occur when a word contains two identical or closely related sounds, resulting in the change or loss of one of them. This happens regularly in February, which is more often pronounced 'fe-b(y)&-"wer-E\ than 'fe-br&-"wer-E, though all of these variants are in frequent use and widely accepted. The \y\ heard from many speakers is not an intrusion but rather a common pronunciation of the vowel u after a consonant, as in January and annual. This quote can be found at: [http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary) (just type the word february into the search box) While my New Lexicon cites as etymology the word _feverer_ as the source of February, that idea is a bit hard to swallow. Obviously, the current word owes much more to the Latin word for the month than to the intervening French word. Much more likely is that the French term was adopted at some level in England after the Norman conquest, but that the original Latin calendar term was continued at some level, or resurrected later. I can’t wait for the OED to get online! And, yes, I pronounce it with the /r/ sound. ---
**Author:** ![Delta-9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@Delta-9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delta-9)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2000, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wednesday-why-the-funky-spelling/6890/22 "2000-02-07T16:43:00Z")
Eve, how do you remember all those things? Shhesh, I can’t remember what I had for breakfast yesterday. * * * The odds that the bread will fall butter side down are directly proportional to the cost of the carpet. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2000, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wednesday-why-the-funky-spelling/6890/23 "2000-02-07T16:50:00Z")
Actually, the whole “Woden” thing is a coverup. Wednesday is named after St. Wedne (864-922), the patron of fast-food establishments. She was martyred when an evil king who reigned over bigoted burghers sold her in slavery to the Scots (Clan McDonald), who fed her to the Crocs. She is often represented carrying a chihuahua, with her hair in braids. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SoMoMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@SoMoMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoMoMom)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2000, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wednesday-why-the-funky-spelling/6890/24 "2000-02-07T20:32:00Z")
Ok, then, “Feb-berry” and “Febi-ary” are not even mentioned? That’s just leaving out a big chunk of the US population. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2000, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wednesday-why-the-funky-spelling/6890/25 "2000-02-07T21:08:00Z")
“Eve, how do you remember all those things?” —This is what happens when you’ve never smoked pot; I remember EVERY GODDAM MINUTE of my childhood. I’d give a lot for Repressed Memory Syndrome . . . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wednesday-why-the-funky-spelling/6890.md?page=1)