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

Now the race is on to get congestion pricing approved before President-elect Donald Trump, who opposes it, takes office in January. —Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024

On the morning of January 15, Kwon was crossing Amsterdam Avenue at West 96th Street, a block from our apartment building, when a driver in the center lane slammed into her with his Mercedes. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 13 Nov. 2024

By the time Trump takes office in January, the moratorium will have been on the books for two years. —Jimmy Lovrien, Twin Cities, 13 Nov. 2024

That number has grown steadily—to 22 million in January 2024 and 40 million in May 2024, Variety reports. —Emily Dreibelbis Forlini, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 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.