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noun
the twelfth month of the year, containing 31 days. Abbreviation: Dec.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English decembre < Old French < Latin december (stem decembr-) the tenth month of the early Roman year, apparently < *dec(em)-membri-, equivalent to decem ten + *-membri- < mens- month + -ri- suffix (with -sr- > -br- and assimilation of nasal)
before 1000; Middle English decembre < Old French < Latin december (stem decembr-) the tenth month of the early Roman year, apparently < *dec(em)-membri-, equivalent to decem ten + *-membri- < mens- month + -ri- suffix (with -sr- > -br- and assimilation of nasal)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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December
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
December
c.1000, from O.Fr. decembre, from L. December, from decem "ten" (see ten); tenth month of the old Roman calendar, which began with March. The -ber in four L. month names is probably from -bris, an adjectival suffix. Tucker thinks that the first five months were named for their
EXPANDpositions in the agricultural cycle, and "after the gathering in of the crops, the months were merely numbered."
COLLAPSE
If the word contains an element related to mensis, we must assume a *decemo-membris (from *-mensris). October must then be by analogy from a false division Sep-tem-ber &c. Perhaps, however, from *de-cem(o)-mr-is, i.e. "forming the tenth part or division," from *mer- ..., while October = *octuo-mr-is. [T.G. Tucker, "Etymological Dictionary of Latin"]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
December
twelfth month of the Gregorian calendar. Its name is derived from decem, Latin for "ten," indicating its position in the early Roman calendar.
Learn more about December with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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