October

How to spell october

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce october

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does october mean?

1. nounThe tenth month of the year, following September and preceding November.

October in a sentence

• The new tax year deadline falls at the end of october.

• The leaves turn deep red and gold throughout october.

Where does october come from?

Language of origin: Latin

October comes from the Latin word october, which literally meant 'the eighth month', built on octo, the Latin word for 'eight'. In the early Roman calendar the year began in March, so October genuinely fell eighth in the count, and the name stuck even after the calendar was reorganised and the month slid into tenth place. The ending -ber, also seen in September, November and December, is a Latin month-forming element of uncertain origin. English took the word from Latin during the Old English period, reinforced later by the Old French spelling, and it has kept its classical form ever since. The lingering trap for writers is that the modern month is tenth, not eighth, so the 'oct' (eight) at the start can feel counterintuitive even though the spelling never changed.

How the word is built

• octo- (eight)
• -ber (month suffix, from Latin -ber)