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

The film was originally scheduled for a January 2026 release (a month that is experimental, to use the kindest possible word to describe that timeframe), but in recent weeks, it was pulled way up to August of this year. —Matt Donnelly, Variety, 2 Apr. 2025

In January 2025, Azerbaijan exported 2,278 tons of pomegranates worth $2.02 million— a 35% jump in value over the previous year. —Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025

They were last spotted out together this past January in New York City. —Vogue, 1 Apr. 2025

The new court filings included representatives of SnapChat and YouTube saying their platforms would or likely would be impacted by Florida’s law, which went into effect in January but hasn’t been enforced yet by the state’s attorney general. —Lee Ann Anderson, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Apr. 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

Rhymes for January

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• beriberi
• breviary
• budgetary
• capillary
• catenary
• cautionary

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.