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 The goal was to move some of the propellant on board the Starship vehicle from one tank to another, according to a December email from NASA explaining the test. Jackie Wattles, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 Jenkins had been announced as the director of Rogue Squadron in December 2020. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 In the lawsuit filed in December, Gomez accused the association and several of its leaders of undermining his law practice and spreading false claims about him. Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024 In December, Blackstock and Starstruck challenged that ruling in court, demanding that same questions be re-decided by a Los Angeles judge rather than by the Labor Commissioner. Bill Donahue, Billboard, 14 Mar. 2024 With no winners since December, the Mega Millions jackpot continues to grow before the next drawing, and could soon eclipse $800 million. Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024 Some economists, lawmakers and city residents have been questioning the math behind those numbers since the project was announced in December and citing some sports facilities that came up short. Jonathan O'Connell, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 And in December of 2023, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order granting the same right to second-time transfers. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 The duo toured the space in Old Sacramento in December, which was once home to a Subway, and signed the contract. Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 2 Mar. 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 19 Mar. 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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