What is the Daily Buzzword for September 1? September \sep-TEM-ber\ noun What does it mean? : the ninth month of the year How do you use it? "I can remember exactly how the country looked to me as I walked beside my grandmother along the faint wagon-tracks on that early September morning." (Willa Cather, _My Antonia_) Are you a word wiz? Where do you think the word "September" comes from? A. from a Greek word meaning "shorter days" B. from the name of a god in Norse mythology C. from the Latin word for "seven" D. from the name of a French hill where the sun sets in late summer Answer: The ancient Romans originally used a ten-month calendar which began the year with the month of March. The seventh month of the year was called "September," from "septem," a Latin word meaning "seven." The names for the last three months were also formed from Latin numbers. "October" comes from "octo" meaning "eight," "November," comes from "novem" meaning "nine," and "December comes from "decem" meaning "ten." Eventually, the Romans added January and February to their calendar as the first and second months of the year. This made the numerical order of the last four months incorrect, but the Romans kept the old names anyway and English speakers have inherited them. *************************************************************** Brought to you by Merriam-Webster's Word Central http://www.wordcentral.com *************************************************************** To subscribe to or unsubscribe from the Daily Buzzword, visit: http://www.wordcentral.com/buzzword-subscribe.html (c) 2005 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated 47 Federal Street P.O. Box 281 Springfield, MA 01102