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

Fueled by powerful winds and dry conditions, a series of ferocious wildfires erupted the second week of January and roared across the Los Angeles area. —Saba Hamedy, NBC News, 31 Jan. 2025

But obviously there’s a tremendous amount of adjustment from December through January. —Jem Aswad, Variety, 31 Jan. 2025

Season 2 premiered on January 23rd. Produced by Sony Pictures Television, The Night Agent‘s first season introduced Sutherland as a low-level FBI Agent whose efforts to save The President earned him an opportunity to become a Night Agent in Season 2. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 31 Jan. 2025

Malhotra was then asked about how Higher Ground navigates the DEI conversation, something that has become an explosive conversation in January as President Trump and his administration have taken office and sought to dismantle or at least attack the programs on a daily basis. —Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2025

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.