1325–75; < Latin autumnus; replacing Middle English autumpne < Middle French autompne < Latin
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
- Piles of nuts from the autumn harvest entice the most avid snacker, and require no preparation on the part of the hostess.
- Yet autumn imagery is so much more in keeping with its mystique.
- It's that time again for nature to put on its multicolored autumn farewell.
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autumn
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autumn
season of the year between summer and winter during which temperatures gradually decrease. It is often called fall in the United States because leaves fall from the trees at that time. Autumn is usually defined in the Northern Hemisphere as the period between the autumnal equinox (day and night equal in length), September 22 or 23, and the winter solstice (year's shortest day), December 21 or 22; and in the Southern Hemisphere as the period between March 20 or 21 and June 21 or 22. The autumn temperature transition between summer heat and winter cold occurs only in middle and high latitudes; in equatorial regions, temperatures generally vary little during the year. In the polar regions autumn is very short. For physical causes of the seasons, see season.
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