Word of the Day: August
august
au-gust / ô-gŭst as an adjective; ô-gəst as a noun
adjective
1. majestic; marked by grandeur; respected
The august and mellow University, soaked with the richness of the western counties that it has served for a thousand years, appealed at once to the boy’s taste: it was the kind of thing he could understand, and he understood it all the better because it was empty.
From “Howards End” by E. M. Forster, 1879 – 1970
2. respected; distinguished
Hardly a name in profane history is more august than his.(referring to Christopher Columbus),
Justin Winsor, 1831 – 1897
noun
1. August, the eighth month of the year, having 31 days, it follows July and precedes September
August rain brings oil, honey and must.
Sicilian Proverb
etymology
Derived, as an adjective, from the Latin adjective augustus, augusta, augustum (sacred, revered, majestic, noble), which is derived from the root of the Latin verb augeo, augere, auxi, auctum (increase, enlarge, multiply. enrich, exalt).
As the name of the eighth month of the Western calendar, August comes from the title “Augustus,” (Revered), which the Roman Senate bestowed upon Julius Caesar’s imperial heir, Octavian. Since the senators had named the previous month “Julius” in honor of Julius Caesar, they honored his successor, Augustus, by changing the name of the month after July to “Augustus.”
Thank you to Allen Ward for providing the etymologies for august and August.
