Mjesecu

Mjesecu is the genitive singular form of mjesec in Croatian, a word that commonly denotes both the Moon and the unit of time known as a calendar month. In everyday use, mjesec can refer to the celestial body or to a period of time within a year. The form mjesecu appears in expressions such as kraj mjeseca or tijekom mjeseca travnja, where it functions to specify a temporal frame.

Etymology and meaning are closely linked in Croatian, as with many Slavic languages, where the word for month and the Moon share a common root. The term derives from Proto-Slavic *měsęcь, reflecting the historical connection between lunar cycles and measuring time.

Length and reckoning vary by context. A civil month in the Gregorian calendar is 28 to 31 days long. A lunar month—the cycle from one new moon to the next—averages about 29.53 days and is known as a synodic month. Some calendars, such as the Islamic calendar, rely on lunar months of 29 or 30 days, while lunisolar systems insert leap months to keep the calendar aligned with the solar year.

In Croatian usage, maanden and dates are expressed with month names (siječanj, veljača, ožujak, etc.), but mesíec remains a fundamental unit for timekeeping and temporal expressions. Phrases with the genitive form, such as kraj mjeseca or tijekom mjeseca travnja, illustrate how the word functions within sentence structure. Overall, mjesecu as a form and concept embodies the intersection of astronomy, calendar systems, and language in time narration.