October

noun

Oc·​to·​ber äk-ˈtō-bər 

: the 10th month of the Gregorian calendar

Examples of October in a Sentence

She started her job in early October.

He started early in October.

This will be our last October in New England.

Sales are up for this October.

The event happens every October.

Recent Examples on the Web

The third installment in the notably dark superhero franchise was released in October, as was the song that accompanies it. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024

Carter suffered two more falls in October 2019 and was hospitalized for a fractured pelvis. —CBS News, 30 Dec. 2024

Japanese politics entered a new era of uncertainty after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s governing Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled almost without interruption since 1955, suffered a major loss in October amid voter anger at party financial scandals. —Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024

Kenya was born in October, a month into the energy crisis, with breathing problems. —José María León Cabrera, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Octobre, from Old English & Anglo-French; Old English October, from Latin, 8th month of the early Roman calendar, from octo; Anglo-French, from Latin October

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing October

• October surprise

Kids Definition

October

noun

Oc·​to·​ber äk-ˈtō-bər 

: the tenth month of the year

Etymology

Middle English October, Octobre "the tenth month," from Old English October and early French octobre (both, same meaning), both from Latin October "the eighth month," from octo "eight"

Word Origin

According to its origin, the name October, which we know as the tenth month of the year, really means "eighth month." In the first calendar used in ancient Rome, the year had only ten months, starting in March and ending in December. The extra period between December and March was not considered part of the series of months. Later, when two extra months were added to the calendar, October became the tenth month but kept its old name. The Latin name came into Old English as october and into early French as octobre. It was spelled both ways in Middle English. But in time the influence of Latin fixed the spelling as october.