In 2023, the first day of spring lands on March 20. It marks the vernal equinox — the astronomical beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere as it tilts closer to the sun. With warmer temperatures and more daylight, the conditions are perfect for April showers and May flowers. The origin of the word “spring” is deeply rooted in this idea of new growth bursting from the earth.
As is the case for all four seasons, the history of springtime began thousands of years ago as ancient cultures sought to name different time periods of the year based on weather patterns. The word “season” itself came into English as the Old French word season, derived from the Latin sationem (“a sowing or planting”), relating to the natural connection between farming and the seasons. Let’s take a closer look at the etymology of the names of the seasons, beginning with spring.
Spring
- The season after winter and before summer, in which vegetation begins to appear, in the Northern Hemisphere from March to May and in the Southern Hemisphere from September to November.
- Astronomy: The period from the vernal equinox to the summer solstice.
The earliest use of “spring” dates back at least 1,000 years to the Old English verb springan, which had a few meanings, including “to leap, burst forth, fly up or to spread, grow.” Other Proto-Germanic languages adopted similar words, such as the Old Norse springa and the Old High German springan, both of which came from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root sprengh-, meaning “to move or hasten.”
Spring’s journey to becoming the name of the vernal season began in the 14th century in Middle English, with the phrase “springing time,” referring to a period of the year when plants began to sprout. “Spring” wasn’t used exclusively for the season, though. The noun also described the moonrise (“spring of mone”) and the sunrise (“spring of dai”). By the 1520s, the phrases “spring of the leaf” and “spring of the year” were common ways to describe the season of lencten, the Old English word relating to Lent, the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter in Christianity. By the mid-16th century, the name for the time period called “spring of the year” was shortened to “spring.” It had officially become the most common word for the season of budding flowers and new beginnings.
Summer
- The warmest season of the year, in the Northern Hemisphere from June to August and in the Southern Hemisphere from December to February.
- Astronomy: The period from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox.
“Summer” has been in English for over a millennium, though it’s spelled a little differently now. The word somor described “the hot season of the year” in Old English. Other Proto-Germanic languages had similar words for this season, such as sumar, used in Old Saxon, Old Norse, and Old High German. These words came from the PIE root sm-, which led to the first words for the summer season in other ancient languages (even older than Old English’s somor), including the Armenian amarn and Old Irish sam.
The word somor eventually transformed into “summer” (a noun for the season) sometime before the 12th century. Middle English words were often spelled differently than their Old English counterparts because of foreign language influences. “Summer” also has been used as an adjective (as in “summer vacation”) since the beginning of the 14th century and as a verb (as in, “They summered at the country house”) since the 15th century.
Autumn/Fall
- The third season of the year, when crops and fruits are gathered and leaves fall, in the Northern Hemisphere from September to November and in the Southern Hemisphere from March to May.
- Astronomy: The period from the autumnal equinox to the winter solstice.
“Autumn” and “fall” are used interchangeably in the U.S. to describe the season between summer and winter, though “fall” tends to be more popular in American English, and “autumn” is favored in British English. Marked by colorful foliage, harvest festivals, and pumpkin-spice-flavored everything, this season was first called autumnus a few millennia ago, but the origins of this Latin word are not very clear. What can be traced is the adoption of autumnus into other languages, such as the Old French autumpne in the 13th century. Autumpne was pulled into Middle English in the late 15th century, and the spelling changed to “autumn” in the 16th century. Before this adoption of “autumn,” the season was called “harvest” in English, from the Old English hærfest.
“Fall” has been used interchangeably with “autumn” since the mid-17th century in British English (though it’s not that popular across the pond anymore). It came from a shortening of the mid-16th-century phrase “fall of the leaf,” which used the Old English noun/verb “fall” to describe “a drop from a height” (from the Proto-Germanic word fallanan).
Winter
- The coldest season of the year, in the Northern Hemisphere from December to February and in the Southern Hemisphere from June to August.
- Astronomy: The period from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox.
The Old English word winter came from the Proto-Germanic word for the season, wintruz. Other languages also borrowed their words from this source, including the Danish and Swedish words of the same spelling, vinter. Wintruz likely comes from the PIE root wed-, meaning “the wet season,” a fitting name for a season characterized by dreary rain showers or blustering snow. This is also the root that gave us the Old English word for wæter. Both the noun and the adjective “winter” (as in “winter vegetables”) have been around since at least the 12th century, while the verb (as in, “They wintered at the beach”) appeared in the 14th century.
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