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December - 5 dictionary results
De⋅cem⋅ber
[di-sem-ber] 
–noun
| the twelfth month of the year, containing 31 days. Abbreviation: Dec. |
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME decembre < OF < L december (s. decembr-) the tenth month of the early Roman year, appar. < *dec(em)-membri-, equiv. to decem ten + *-membri- < mens- month + -ri- suffix (with -sr- > -br- and assimilation of nasal)
bef. 1000; ME decembre < OF < L december (s. decembr-) the tenth month of the early Roman year, appar. < *dec(em)-membri-, equiv. 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. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To December
| De·cem·ber (dĭ-sěm'bər) n. Abbr. Dec. The 12th month of the year in the Gregorian calendar. See Table at calendar. [Middle English decembre, from Old French, from Latin December, the tenth month of the Roman year, probably from *decemmembris, from *decem-mēnsris : decem, ten; see dek  in Indo-European roots + mēnsis, month; see menses.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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December
De*cem"ber\, n. [F. d['e]cembre, from L. December, fr. decem ten; this being the tenth month among the early Romans, who began the year in March. See Ten.]1. The twelfth and last month of the year, containing thirty-one days. During this month occurs the winter solstice. 2. Fig.: With reference to the end of the year and to the winter season; as, the December of his life.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : December
Spanish:
diciembre,
German:
der Dezember,
Japanese:
12月
December
c.1000, from O.Fr. decembre, from L. December, from decem "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 positions in the agricultural cycle, and "after the gathering in of the crops, the months were merely numbered."
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, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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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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