December

noun

De·​cem·​ber di-ˈsem-bər How to pronounce December (audio)
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 Swift last spoke about her feud with both Kardashian and Ye during her wide-ranging interview as TIME’s Person of the Year in December 2023. Stephen Daw, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024 The Emerald Sakara will be back in the Caribbean next December, with eight-day cruises starting at $4,100. Doug Wallace, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024 Launched in December 2023, Do It Fluid drinks are also available for delivery nationwide via DoorDash starting Saturday. Mike Snider, The Courier-Journal, 19 Apr. 2024 Crosby and Judd both pleaded not guilty to the charges during a December court appearance. Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024 The album was released last December after several delays. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2024 Taking effect on July 1, 2023, medical practitioners providing hormone therapy to minors will have to terminate care immediately or systematically reduce all care to end no later than December 31. Danielle Marie Holland, Parents, 19 Apr. 2024 Hill, 5-10, 190 pounds, entered the NCAA transfer portal after the 2023 season and committed to Florida A&M in December, but then reopened his recruitment and committed to Miami (Fla.) before eventually settling on the Rattlers again. Richard Davenport, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024 The most recent installment, which aired in December 2021, earned two more Primetime Emmy noms. Michael Schneider, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'December.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of December was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near December

Cite this Entry

“December.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/December. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

December

noun
De·​cem·​ber di-ˈsem-bər How to pronounce December (audio)
: 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.

More from Merriam-Webster on December

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