autumn

autumn
autumn (n.) late 14c., autumpne (modern form from 16c.), from O.Fr. autumpne, automne (13c.), from L. autumnus (also auctumnus, perhaps influenced by auctus "increase"), of unknown origin. Perhaps from Etruscan, but Tucker suggests a meaning "drying-up season" and a root in *auq- (which would suggest the form in -c- was the original) and compares archaic English sere-month "August."
Harvest was the English name for the season until autumn began to displace it 16c. In Britain, the season is popularly August through October; in U.S., September through November. Cf. It. autunno, Sp. otoño, Port. outono, all from the Latin word. Unlike the other three seasons, its names across the IE languages leave no evidence that there ever was a common word for it.
Many "autumn" words mean "end, end of summer," or "harvest." Cf. also Lith. ruduo "autumn," from rudas "reddish," in reference to leaves; O.Ir. fogamar, lit. "under-winter."

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • autumn — [ôt′əm] n. [ME autumpne < OFr autompne < L autumnus, auctumnus; prob. of Etr orig.] 1. the season that comes between summer and winter; fall: in the astronomical year, that period between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice 2. any… …   English World dictionary

  • Autumn — Fall redirects here. For other uses, see Fall (disambiguation). This article is about the temperate season. For other uses, see Autumn (disambiguation). An autumn vineyard in Napa Valley, California …   Wikipedia

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  • autumn — /aw teuhm/, n. 1. the season between summer and winter; fall. In the Northern Hemisphere it is from the September equinox to the December solstice; in the Southern Hemisphere it is from the March equinox to the June solstice. 2. a time of full… …   Universalium

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