nonas

Nonas is the Latin plural form of Nona, used in reference to the Nones, one of the principal markers in the ancient Roman calendar. The Nones designated a specific day within the month and served as a reference point for counting to the next major date, the Ides, rather than as a festival in its own right. In historical documents, the Nones helped structure the month alongside the Kalends (the first day) and the Ides.

In terms of placement, the Nones fell on the fifth day of most months, but on the seventh day in the months of March, May, July, and October. The Ides fell on the thirteenth in the months with the Nones on the fifth, and on the fifteenth in the other months. Thus the period from the Nones to the Ides spans eight days in all cases. This system allowed Romans to count both forward and backward from key dates when planning religious observances and civil activities.

Etymology and usage: Nona derives from a Latin root meaning ninth, reflecting the historical counting system of the calendar. In English-language scholarship, the term is often rendered as “Nones,” but the Latin form Nonas appears in inscriptions and some scholarly works. The concept of the Nones is closely linked to the broader structure of the Roman calendar and its time-marking conventions. See also Nones (Roman calendar) for more detail.