mánuður

Mánuður is the Icelandic word for month. It is used to refer to a calendar month and to denote a period of roughly one-twelfth of a year. In everyday language it appears in phrases such as “fimm mánuðir” (five months) and “í þessum mánuði” (in this month). In the civil calendar, a mánuður can have 28 to 31 days, depending on the month, with February having 28 days in common years and 29 days in leap years.

Etymology: The word is descended from Old Norse mánuðr and is cognate with Danish måned, Norwegian måned, and Swedish månad. The root is connected to the moon, reflecting the historical basis of months in the lunar cycle, even though modern Icelandic calendar months are fixed within the Gregorian system.

Usage and forms: The plural form is mánuðir. It is used across various contexts to express durations and dates, as in “við náðum mánuðinum” or “mánuðurinn liður áfram.” The term coexists with other temporal terms in Icelandic, such as ár (year) and dagur (day).