October: from ‘Winterfylleth’ to ‘octo’

October still speaks the word ‘eight’, though it stands as our tenth month. The Latin name carried through French and English, but older calendars tell a different story. Anglo-Saxon ‘Winterfylleth’ marked the first full moon of winter, while the Norse months of harvest and slaughter overlapped with our October. This entry traces the month’s name across Rome, England, and the North.