English Reference

Word

december

Phoneticsde·cem·ber

/dɪˈsɛmbɝ/

Definition

n. the last month of the year.

n. the twelfth and final month of the Gregorian calendar.

Examples

“We usually go skiing in December.”

“Many businesses see their highest sales in December as people shop for holiday gifts and celebrations.”

“The cold winds of December often bring a quiet stillness to the countryside, marking the transition into the deepest part of the winter season.”

Examples

simple

“We usually go skiing in December.”

contextual

“Many businesses see their highest sales in December as people shop for holiday gifts and celebrations.”

complex

“The cold winds of December often bring a quiet stillness to the countryside, marking the transition into the deepest part of the winter season.”

Usage

Always capitalized; usually used with the preposition 'in'.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ Proto-Italic *dekəm Latin decem Latin December Latin decemberbor. Old French decembrebor. Middle English December English December From Middle English December, Decembre, from Old French decembre, from Latin december (“tenth month”), from Latin decem (“ten”); + Latin -ber, from -bris, an adjectival suffix; December was the tenth month in the Roman calendar.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Idioms

December bride — A woman who marries when she is significantly older than most brides.

This entry

Level
A1 · Beginner
Frequency
Very common
Updated

Scan code

English Reference