january Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
    Jan.

WordNet

Jan"u*a*ry noun
Etymology
L. Januarius, fr. Janus an old Latin deity, the god of the sun and the year, to whom the month of January was sacred; cf. janua a door, Skr. ya to go.
Definitions
  1. The first month of the year, containing thirty-one days. ✍ Before the adoption of New Style, the commencement of the year was usually reckoned from March 25.

Webster 1913