Canicular

Canicular is an adjective that means related to the dog days. The Latin word Canis (CON eese) means ‘dog.’ The period between early July and early September came to be known as the ‘dog days’ for reasons that have nothing to do with the weather of that period or with the way dogs feel about those months. Instead, the name ‘dog days’ became associated with that time frame because that time of year is under the star Sirius, whose Latin name was Canicula, meaning ‘small dog.’ That canicular period of late summer can be really rough on a heating duct repairman. With temperatures soaring during the dog days, who wants to get their heating repaired?