Autumn

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɔːtəm/

Definitions

1. The season between summer and winter when leaves change color and temperatures begin to cool
2. The season following summer and preceding winter, featuring a notable change in foliage color and a significant drop in temperature
3. The period of the year characterized by the transition from warm to cold, marked by the shedding of leaves and harvest time

Etymology: Autumn is one of the English words that arrived in several forms before settling. The Latin "autumnus" passed into Old French as "automne" or "autonne," and English borrowed the French version in the Middle English period, when it appeared as "autumpne." The spelling then shifted over the centuries, and the modern form emerged, while the spelling with the silent "n" and "mn" cluster reflects its Latin and French ancestry. The Latin word itself has an uncertain origin. Scholars have proposed several possible roots, and none is settled, so the word's ultimate beginnings remain a matter of debate. What is clear is that it named the season between summer and winter, the time of harvest and falling leaves. Autumn also gave English a set of verbs. Some of its verbal senses come from the Latin verb "autumnare," which meant to be in the season of autumn, or to gather fruit in that season. These verbal uses are now rare, leaving the noun as the everyday form.

Synonyms: fall, harvest season, autumnal season

Antonyms: spring, summer