IDES

(Supposed to be derived from the obsolete verb iduare, to divide.) One of the three epochs or divisions of the ancient Roman month. The calends were the fust days of the different months; the ides, days near the middle of the months; and the nones, the ninth day before the ides. In the months of March, May, July, and October, the ides fell on the 15th; in the other months on the 13th. The Ro mans used a very peculiar method of reckoniug the days of the month. Instead of employing the ordinal numbers first, second, third, , they distinguished them by the number of days intervening between any given day and the next following of the three fixed divisions. For example, as there were always eight days between the nones and the ides the day after the nones was called the eighth before the ides, the next the seventh dnybefore the ides, the next the sixth day before the ides, and so on. In leap years, when February had twenty-nine days, the extra day was accounted for by calling both the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth days of that month the sixth day before the calends of March; whence the leap year got the name of bi extile (from bis, twice, nnd sext us, sixth. See Bi extile. [s. 602]