January

noun

Jan·​u·​ary ˈjan-yə-ˌwer-ē 

-ˌwe-rē

plural Januaries or Januarys

: the first month of the Gregorian calendar

Examples of January in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The accusations were covered in depth in an article by the Daily Beast in January 2023. —Marta Balaga, Variety, 27 Sep. 2024

In January 2024, they were also photographed together for the premiere of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. —Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 27 Sep. 2024

Read the full Capricorn Daily Horoscope Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) Relational drama may interfere with your professional goals. —USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2024

Excavators transfer coal at the coal terminal in China’s eastern Jiangsu province on January 22, 2024. —Evelyn Cheng,anniek Bao, CNBC, 27 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Januarie, from Latin Januarius, 1st month of the ancient Roman year, from Janus

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

January

noun

Jan·​u·​ary ˈjan-yə-ˌwer-ē 

: the first month of the year

Etymology

from Latin Januarius "first month of the year," from Janus, a Roman god

Word Origin

Among the many gods worshipped by the ancient Romans was one named Janus. He was believed to have two faces, one looking forward and one looking back. Janus was associated with doors, gates, and all beginnings. Because of that, when the Romans changed their calendar and added two months to the beginning of the year, they named the first one Januarius to honor Janus. The English January comes from Latin Januarius.