From Latin 'autumnus,' possibly Etruscan — it displaced the native English season name 'harvest' in the 16th-17th centuries.
Definition
The season between summer and winter, when crops are harvested and leaves fall; also called fall in North American English.
The Full Story
Latin (probably Etruscan origin)14th century (in English)well-attested
Borrowed into English via Old French 'automne' from Latin 'autumnus,' the Roman name for the harvest season (roughly August through October). The ultimate origin of 'autumnus' is disputed and probably non-Indo-European: the leadinghypothesis is Etruscan, as the Romans borrowed multiple calendar terms and seasonal concepts from the Etruscans, the pre-Roman Italian civilization that dominated central Italy before Roman expansion. Some scholars have proposed an Etruscan root connecting to concepts of
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English is the only Germanic language to use 'autumn' — all other Germanic languages use native words (German Herbst, Dutch herfst, Swedish höst). Americans preserved theolder English synonym 'fall' (short for 'fall of the leaf'), which was common in England until the 18th century.
spring up), 'summer' is native Germanic (Old English 'sumor,' from PIE *sam-, summer, hot season), and 'winter' is native Germanic, but 'autumn' is a Latin word of probable Etruscan heritage. American English commonly uses 'fall' (short for 'fall of the leaf'), the old English alternative that dropped out of British usage. Key roots: autumnus (Latin: "the harvest season, autumn").