October

noun

Oc·​to·​ber äk-ˈtō-bər How to pronounce October (audio)
: the 10th month of the Gregorian calendar

Examples of October in a Sentence

She started her job in early October. He started early in October. This will be our last October in New England. Sales are up for this October. The event happens every October.
Recent Examples on the Web The second season was announced a month later, in October 2022. Patrick Frater, Variety, 9 May 2024 National Jewish Health treated a third case, a Colorado man in his 60s, who received stem cell injections in his knees for osteoarthritis in October 2022 in Guadalajara, an urban hub in central-western Mexico. Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 9 May 2024 Advertisement So far, though, there’s been no move to lower the speed limit on the deadly stretch — a change many residents have been asking for ever since the deaths of four Pepperdine seniors, who were struck by a driver last October. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024 Three months later, Robinson filed for divorce from Hudson, which was eventually finalized in October 2007. Ariana Quihuiz, Peoplemag, 9 May 2024 Since October, Scott has poured nearly $3 million of his own money into his Senate reelection, according to federal filings — enough to foot the bill for the senator’s multi-million-dollar TV ad campaign. Max Greenwood, Miami Herald, 9 May 2024 The charges stemmed from a three-day incident in October, according to the news outlet. Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 9 May 2024 Another man, Michael Fassler, died in October 2023, six months after he was evicted. Theresa Clift, Sacramento Bee, 9 May 2024 Former film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in court at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, California, on October 4, 2022. CBS News, 27 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'October.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Octobre, from Old English & Anglo-French; Old English October, from Latin, 8th month of the early Roman calendar, from octo; Anglo-French, from Latin October

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of October was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near October

Cite this Entry

“October.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/October. Accessed 15 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

October

noun
Oc·​to·​ber äk-ˈtō-bər How to pronounce October (audio)
: the tenth month of the year
Etymology

Middle English October, Octobre "the tenth month," from Old English October and early French octobre (both, same meaning), both from Latin October "the eighth month," from octo "eight"

Word Origin
According to its origin, the name October, which we know as the tenth month of the year, really means "eighth month." In the first calendar used in ancient Rome, the year had only ten months, starting in March and ending in December. The extra period between December and March was not considered part of the series of months. Later, when two extra months were added to the calendar, October became the tenth month but kept its old name. The Latin name came into Old English as october and into early French as octobre. It was spelled both ways in Middle English. But in time the influence of Latin fixed the spelling as october.

More from Merriam-Webster on October

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