1. The first day of the month in the ancient Roman calendar.
Usage: historical; usually plural in English
2. A system of reckoning time in which other days of the month were counted backward from the kalends, nones, or ides.
Usage: historical; archaic

Examples

• The Romans marked the kalends as a significant day for settling debts and conducting business.
• In ancient Rome, the kalends of January was celebrated with festivities and gift-giving.
• The phrase 'Greek kalends' referred to a day that would never come, since the Greeks did not use this calendar system.
• Dates in Roman documents were often expressed in relation to the kalends of the following month.
• The kalends system required Romans to count backward from fixed points in the month.