"Sextilis" was the name given to the sixth month in the ancient Roman calendar, which corresponds to August in the modern Gregorian calendar. The word is spelled with the phonemes /sɛk.stɪ.lɪs/, with the stress on the syllable 'stil'. The first syllable is pronounced like "set" without the 't' sound, while the second syllable is pronounced as "till". The letter 'x' in "sextilis" is pronounced as 'ks' as in the English word "box".
Sextilis is a Latin term derived from the word "sex," meaning six, and "tilis," meaning composed of. In the context of the Roman calendar, it refers to the sixth month, which corresponds to the period between mid-February and mid-March. However, it is crucial to note that this term is not widely recognized or acknowledged in modern dictionaries or everyday language usage.
The Roman calendar consisted of ten months, beginning from March and ending in December. According to historical accounts, the calendar was initially created in the 8th century BCE and underwent a few alterations over time. The Romans based their calendar on lunar cycles, with each month originally having either twenty-nine or thirty days.
Although the term sextilis may not be widely familiar, the sixth month in the Roman calendar had its own name, 'Sextilis,' which translates to "sixth." In the system later adopted by Julius Caesar and commonly referred to as the Julian calendar, the sixth month was renamed 'August' in honor of Emperor Augustus, the first Roman emperor.
While the term sextilis itself may be regarded as antiquated and somewhat obsolete, the historical context it represents holds significance in understanding the development of early Roman calendars and their subsequent modifications to align with societal and political changes.
The word "sextilis" is derived from the Latin term "sex" meaning "six" and "tilis" meaning "of, belonging to". In ancient Rome, the Roman calendar originally had only ten months, and Sextilis was the sixth month. It was later renamed to "August" in honor of the Roman emperor Augustus. The name "sextilis" was derived from its position as the sixth month.