Month: The words 'month,' 'moon,' and… | etymologist.ai
month
/mʌnθ/·noun·before 900 CE·Established
Origin
From OldEnglish 'monath,' sibling of 'moon' — from PIE *meh1ns-, the lunar cycle that literally meant 'the measurer.'
Definition
A period of approximately 28–31 days, originally based on the cycle of the moon; one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year.
The Full Story
Old Englishbefore 900 CEwell-attested
From OldEnglish 'monaþ' (month), from Proto-Germanic *menōþs, from PIE *meh₁n-ōt- derived from *meh₁- meaning 'to measure' and closely linked to *meh₁nos (moon, the measurer). The moon was the primary timekeeping instrument of ancient peoples — its cycle of roughly 29.5 days defined the month in calendrical systems worldwide. The PIE
Did you know?
Thewords 'month,' 'moon,' and 'menstrual' all share the same Proto-Indo-European root *meh₁- meaning 'to measure' — the moon was the original timekeeper, and its cycle gave us both the calendar month and the medical term.