December

noun

De·​cem·​ber di-ˈsem-bər 

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

Despite being placed on leave in December 2023, Josett allegedly used the cameras to find his mistress' new boyfriend's address in June 2024. —Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026

System sales to China fell to 19% of overall sales in the first quarter, compared to 36% in the December quarter. —Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026

Sagittarius November 22 – December 21 Purposeful play is a powerful force right now. —Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026

Papua New Guinea still has a chance to qualify through an inter-continental playoff during the international window in November or December. —ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026

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

Rhymes for December

• dismember
• nonmember
• november
• remember
• september
• ember
• member

Kids Definition

December

noun

De·​cem·​ber di-ˈsem-bər 

: 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.