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

But when later asked about Mecklenburg County’s denial of public records pertaining to the death of 6-year-old Dominique Moody in December, Merriweather declined to comment. —Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026

Capricorn December 22 – January 19 By afternoon, your focus sharpens on goals. —Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026

An earlier December lawsuit had been dismissed by the judge, who said the organization did not sufficiently prove the president was exceeding his powers. —Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026

December 22 – January 19 By afternoon, your focus sharpens on goals. —Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 1 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.