Many know that the prefix oct- means eight, as in octopus or octagon. So why does October, the 10th month of the year, have this prefix?
It dates back to the ancient Roman calendar, known as the Republican calendar or the Calendar of Romulus. Under this system, the lunar calendar named only 10 months, excluding the winter season.
The months were named after gods, goddesses and other Latin terms and numbers.
The original months were as follows:
Martius (March)
Aprilis (April)
Maius (May)
Junius (June)
Quintilis (July)
Sextilis (August)
September (Sept- meaning seven)
October (Oct- meaning eight)
November (Nov-, more often seen now as nona-, meaning nine)
December (Dec- meaning 10)
The Calendar of Numa introduced Januarius (January) and Februarius (February) to account for the days of winter, which previously were considered the separation between years. It is with this addition that the numbered names no longer aligned with the position of the months.
Next came the Julian Calendar, established under the rule of Julius Caesar, based on the 12 months in a solar year and incorporating leap years. This calendar also moved the beginning of the year from March 1 to January 1.
The Gregorian Calendar was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a revision to the Julian Calendar, later adopted in Great Britain and the American colonies in 1752. This is the calendar many observe today.
Many know that the prefix oct- means eight, as in octopus or octagon. But why does October, the 10th month of the year, have this prefix?
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