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

November 22 – December 21 Home should be a safe place to land. —Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 18 Mar. 2026

December 22 – January 19 This afternoon favors careful words and precise timing. —Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026

The Yuma County Sheriff's Office said the same person has been starting fires for more than two years, including one that burned more than 12,000 acres near County Road 33 in December. —Christa Swanson, CBS News, 18 Mar. 2026

Monteverdi is a seasonal hotel, open from mid-March through mid-December. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Mar. 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.