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 second came after the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, when his supporters violently protested the 2020 election results. —Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025

The Ballad of Wallis Island’s Journey to Theaters The Ballad of Wallis Island premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and hit theaters in the United States in late March. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025

Calls which were only made louder by January’s devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 24 June 2025

Park also allegedly spent two weeks visiting the main suspect's home in late January and early February of this year, the officials said. —Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 24 June 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.