January

Meanings

1. 1
   name

   The first month of the Gregorian calendar, following the December of the previous year and preceding February.

   Holonyms: calendar year; year

2. 2
   name

   A female given name transferred from the month name [in turn from English].

   “Hi, January!” Lynn calls. “Happy birthday!”

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *yeh₂-der. Latin iānus Latin Iānus Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -arius Latin Iānuāriusder. Anglo-Norman geneverbor. Middle English Janevere Middle English Januarie English January From Middle English Januarie, januari, re-latinised forms of Middle English Janevere, Ieneuer, from Anglo-Norman genever, from Latin Iānuārius (“(month) of Janus”), a compound of Iānus ("Janus") + -ārius (adjectival suffix), with the first element perhaps from the Proto-Indo-European root *yeh₂- (“to go”). Doublet of Gennaro.