Walking with my daughter to school, one of our pleasures is spotting and naming new plants. ‘This is lavender, Mummy — it smells of lavender, and it’s minty!’ Yes…
Given the sunshine we have been having, there are suddenly many more plants opening up and sharing their colours and scents with the world, and this thought always puts me in mind of the Latin names for months (it does!). The current month, April, is Aprilis in Latin, which comes from the verb aperio, to open. Lewis and Short (THE Latin dictionary) gives the definition of Aprilis as “the month of April (as the month in which the earth opens and softens)”.
How lovely! Just like the tulips and violets and lavenders which brighten our walks to and from school.
Cambridge Latin Tutor 