December

英 [dɪ'sembə] 美[dɪ'sɛmbɚ]

CET4TEM4考研CET6核心词汇

复数: Decembers;

December 十二月

来自decem-, 十，词源同ten.原指古罗马历的十月，后为使历法更科学，加入了January, February, 而原来的十月顺延到十二月。

December: December: [13] December was originally so named by the ancient Romans (Latin December) because it was the tenth month of their calendar (which began with March). The term was derived from Latin decem ‘ten’. It reached English via Old French decembre.
=> decimal, ten
December (n.): c. 1000, from Old French decembre, from Latin December, from decem "ten" (see ten); tenth month of the old Roman calendar, which began with March.

The -ber in four Latin month names is probably from -bris, an adjectival suffix. Tucker thinks that the first five months were named for their positions in the agricultural cycle, and "after the gathering in of the crops, the months were merely numbered."
If the word contains an element related to mensis, we must assume a *decemo-membris (from *-mensris). October must then be by analogy from a false division Sep-tem-ber &c. Perhaps, however, from *de-cem(o)-mr-is, i.e. "forming the tenth part or division," from *mer- ..., while October = *octuo-mr-is. [T.G. Tucker, "Etymological Dictionary of Latin"]

1. Their first car rolls off the production line on December 16.: 他们的第一辆车于12月16日下线。

2. There will be a run-off between these two candidates on December 9th.: 12月9日将举行这两位候选人的决胜选举。

3. Last December they hunted down and killed one of the gangsters.: 去年12月他们追捕到其中一名匪徒并将其击毙。

4. The sides must battle again for a quarter-final place on December 16.: 双方将在12月16日再次交锋以争夺进入四分之一决赛的席位。

5. On December 8 the media blitz began in earnest.: 12月8日，一场大规模媒体宣传活动轰轰烈烈地展开了。