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

More could come after that in smaller areas of the country, such the northeast and midwest, as late as January 15 to 16, if not longer. —Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025

Federal Realty Investment Trust is the biggest laggard, down 6.3% in January. —Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 8 Jan. 2025

Marianne Jean-Baptiste, whose latest film, Hard Truths, goes wide on January 10, wears a Sacai coat and Cartier earrings. —Radhika Seth, Vogue, 7 Jan. 2025

By Kathleen Walsh January 7, 2025 Zendaya gave us Old Hollywood glamour at the 2025 Golden Globes, then turned around and gave us a different flavor of classic style at a special Challengers screening with director Luca Guadagnino the very next day. —Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 7 Jan. 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

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.