The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20171213161135/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/august
Merriam-Webster Logo

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

august

adjective au·gust \ ȯ-ˈgəst , ˈȯ-(ˌ)gəst \
Updated on: 18 Nov 2017

Definition of august

: marked by majestic dignity or grandeur
  • her august lineage
  • an august mansion

augustly

adverb

augustness

play \ȯ-ˈgəs(t)-nəs, ˈȯ-(ˌ)gəs(t)-\ noun

august was our Word of the Day on 08/23/2015. Hear the podcast!

Examples of august in a Sentence

  1. We visited their august mansion and expansive grounds.

  2. The family claims an august lineage.

Recent Examples of august from the Web

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'august.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

August comes from the Latin word augustus, meaning "consecrated" or "venerable," which in turn is related to the Latin augur, meaning "consecrated by augury or "auspicious." In 8 B.C. the Roman Senate honored Augustus Caesar, the first Roman emperor, by changing the name of their month "Sextilis" to "Augustus." Middle English speakers inherited the name of the month of August, but it wasn't until the mid-1600s that "august" came to be used generically in English, more or less as "augustus" was in Latin, to refer to someone with imperial qualities.

Origin and Etymology of august

Latin augustus; akin to Latin augur

August

noun Au·gust \ ˈȯ-gəst \

Definition of August

: the eighth month of the Gregorian calendar

Examples of august in a Sentence

  1. We are taking our vacation in August.

  2. The last two Augusts have been very dry.

Origin and Etymology of august

Middle English, from Old English, from Latin Augustus, from Augustus Caesar

Other Calendar Terms


AUGUST Defined for English Language Learners

august

adjective

Definition of august for English Language Learners

  • : having a formal and impressive quality


August

noun

Definition of August for English Language Learners

  • : the eighth month of the year


AUGUST Defined for Kids

august

adjective au·gust \ ȯ-ˈgəst \

Definition of august for Students

: being grand and noble : majestic
  • an august university

August

noun Au·gust \ ˈȯ-gəst \

Definition of August for Students

: the eighth month of the year

History for august

The first Roman calendar began the year with March. The sixth month was the one we now know as August. The first Latin name given to this month was Sextilis, derived from sextus, “sixth.” The Romans renamed the month after the first Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, who first took power on August 19, 43 B.C. Hence the English word August came from the emperor's Latin name, which means literally “worthy of respect.”


Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up august? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

of very fine texture or delicate form

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Star Wars Words Quiz

  • cu-jedi-training
  • The bounty portion of bounty hunters (such as Boba Fett) comes from a Latin word meaning
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Syn City

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!