A.W.A.D. - Beware of Ides!
"Beware the Ides of March", the soothsayer warned Julius Caesar. Caesar didn't heed the warning and we all know his fate. At least that is what history tells us. I've a feeling Caesar did mind the date but he simplygot lost in the hopelessly complex Roman calendar and confused the D-day.
Ides are only one of the ingredients of the Roman calendar. The other two are calends (or kalends) and nones. The calends are straightforward -- they always fall on the first of every month. Nones are on the fifth or the seventh days, and ides on the thirteenth or the fifteenth days. All dates are counted backwards from the nearest nones, calends, or ides.
Here's a little rhyme to help you remember the dates:
March, July, October, and May
The nones are on the seventh day.
And ides fall eight days after the Nones.
More words about calendar this week. Interestingly, the word calendar derives from Latin calendarium (account book) since it was used to keep track of the date when debts were due.
ides
(eyedz) noun
Ides are only one of the ingredients of the Roman calendar. The other two are calends (or kalends) and nones. The calends are straightforward -- they always fall on the first of every month. Nones are on the fifth or the seventh days, and ides on the thirteenth or the fifteenth days. All dates are counted backwards from the nearest nones, calends, or ides.
Here's a little rhyme to help you remember the dates:
March, July, October, and May
The nones are on the seventh day.
And ides fall eight days after the Nones.
More words about calendar this week. Interestingly, the word calendar derives from Latin calendarium (account book) since it was used to keep track of the date when debts were due.
ides
(eyedz) noun
The 15th day of March, May, July, or October, and the 13th day of the other months in the ancient Roman calendar.
[From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin idus.]
intercalary
(in-TUHR-kuh-ler-ee, -KAL-uh-ree) adjective
Inserted in a calendar (for example, a day or a month).
[From Latin inter- (between) + calare (to proclaim).]
bissextile
(by-SEKS-til) adjective
Of or pertaining to the leap year or the extra day in the leap year.
noun
Leap year
[From Latin bisextilis annus (leap year), from Latin bissextus (February 29: leap day), from bi- (two) + sextus (sixth), from the fact that the sixth day before the Calends of March (February 24) appeared twice every leap year.]
[From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin idus.]
intercalary
(in-TUHR-kuh-ler-ee, -KAL-uh-ree) adjective
Inserted in a calendar (for example, a day or a month).
[From Latin inter- (between) + calare (to proclaim).]
bissextile
(by-SEKS-til) adjective
Of or pertaining to the leap year or the extra day in the leap year.
noun
Leap year
[From Latin bisextilis annus (leap year), from Latin bissextus (February 29: leap day), from bi- (two) + sextus (sixth), from the fact that the sixth day before the Calends of March (February 24) appeared twice every leap year.]
Greek calends
(greek KAL-undz) noun
also Greek kalends
A time that doesn't exist.[From the fact that calends exist in the Roman calendar.]
menology
(mi-NOL-uh-jee) noun
A calendar, especially one commemorating specific people.
[From Modern Latin menologium, from Late Greek menologion, from meno- (month) + -logy (account). It's the same meno that appears in menopause.]
Covers week of 13 - 17 August 2007.
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