December

noun

De·​cem·​ber di-ˈsem-bər 

dē-

: the 12th month of the Gregorian calendar

Examples of December in a Sentence

Her birthday is in late December.

This December was not as cold as the past few Decembers have been.

Recent Examples on the Web

Smart Goals Ready to say bye to the buzz? December 30, 2024 All products are independently selected by our editors. —Lisa Desantis, Glamour, 30 Dec. 2024

That song has become hugely popular again, as has been the case for years now around December, and streams and sales of the title may be responsible, at least in part, for the compilation’s ascent. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024

The mood among Democrats on a December morning in the Wisconsin state capitol was celebratory. —Peter Slevin, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2024

Swiatek opened her United Cup campaign December 30, with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Norwegian world No. 404 Malene Helgo. —James Hansen, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Decembre, from Old English or Anglo-French, both from Latin December (tenth month), from decem ten — more at ten

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

December

noun

De·​cem·​ber di-ˈsem-bər 

: the twelfth month of the year

Etymology

Middle English Decembre, December "last month of the year," from early French decembre (same meaning), from Latin December, literally, "tenth month," from decem "ten" — related to decimal, dime

Word Origin

In the first calendar used by the ancient Romans, the year began with the month of March. The Romans called the tenth month of the year December, using the Latin word decem, meaning "ten." When the word was borrowed into early French, it became decembre. That was also how it was first spelled when it came into Middle English. In time, however, the English word was changed to match the original Latin in spelling and in having a capital letter.