Vernal

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈvɜːn(ə)l/

Definitions

1. Relating to or occurring in the spring season
2. Having to do with the season marked by blossoming and renewal, it signifies processes or events that occur during springtime and the changes in the natural world associated with this time
3. Connected with the time of year when plants begin to grow and flowers appear after winter

Etymology: Spring has an unexpectedly old pedigree. The word traces back to a Proto-Indo-European root, "*wósr̥", meaning "spring", and passed into Latin as "vēr", the ordinary word for the season. From "vēr" Latin formed "vērnus" ("of spring") and then "vernālis", a rarer adjective with the same sense, which is the direct ancestor of the English word. The English form arrived by way of Old French, which had its own "vernal", and the word has kept its seasonal core while sounding more learned than its everyday synonym. Its close relatives are still spoken across the Romance languages: Italian "vernale", Spanish and Portuguese "vernal", and Occitan "vernal" all carry the same meaning. The shared stem means that a single ancient word for the season survives in English largely as a formal, poetic choice rather than a common one.

Synonyms: springlike, fresh, youthful, florid, blooming

Antonyms: autumnal, wintry, barren, dry, stale