January
/ˈdʒænjʊəri/
noun
Origin
Latin
Ianuarius — of Janus
Overview
Meaning Now
- The first month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars.
Literal older meaning
Month of Janus
Language path
Latin → Middle English → English
Earliest form
Januarie
Earliest period
13th century
Journey
The month is named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, and endings. Traditionally, Janus is depicted with two faces, one looking to the past and the other to the future, making him a fitting patron for the first month of the calendar year.
Evolution
- Classical Latin
mensis Ianuarius
“month of Janus”
- Late Latin
Januarius
“first month of the year”
- Middle English
Januarie
“the month of January”
Introduced via Old French
- Modern English
January
“the first month”
Connections
Word parts
Janu-
root
referring to the god Janus
-ary
suffix
suffix indicating pertaining to
Related across languages
French
janvier
January
Spanish
enero
January
Italian
gennaio
January
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Related to January
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.