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

Read Eileen's Full Story Eileen's Road to Diagnosis January 2010 Unexplained pain starts in my hands, knees, and feet. —Health, 20 May 2025

As part of President Trump’s immigration crackdown, his administration banned most incoming refugees in January and froze federal funds for the programs. —Tiffany Stanley, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025

The Hulman-George family, which acquired the Indianapolis speedway in 1945, sold out to Penske, a deal announced in 2019 and completed in January 2020. —Bill Koenig, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025

Rubio and Jaishankar met on January 21 to discuss migration, U.S.-India relations and other topics. —Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 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.