the cold season between autumn and spring in northern latitudes (in the Northern Hemisphere from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox; in the Southern Hemisphere from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox).
2.
the months of December, January, and February in the U.S., and of November, December, and January in Great Britain.
3.
cold weather: a touch of winter in northern Florida.
to keep, feed, or manage during the winter, as plants or cattle: plants wintering indoors.
Origin: before 900; (noun) Middle English, Old English; cognate with German Winter,Old Norse vetr,Gothic wintrus; (v.) Middle English, derivative of the noun; akin to wet, water
a. (sometimes capital) the coldest season of the year, between autumn and spring, astronomically from the December solstice to the March equinox in the N hemisphere and at the opposite time of year in the S hemisphere
b. (as modifier): winter pasture
2.
the period of cold weather associated with the winter
3.
a time of decline, decay, etc
4.
poeticchiefly a year represented by this season: a man of 72 winters Related: brumal, hibernal, hiemal
—vb
5.
(intr) to spend the winter in a specified place
6.
to keep or feed (farm animals, etc) during the winter or (of farm animals) to be kept or fed during the winter
Related: brumal, hibernal, hiemal
[Old English; related to Old Saxon, Old High German wintar, Old Norse vetr, Gothic wintrus]
O.E., "fourth season of the year," from P.Gmc. *wentruz (cf. O.Fris., Du. winter, O.S., O.H.G. wintar, Ger. winter, Dan., Swed. vinter, Goth. wintrus, O.N. vetr "winter"), possibly from PIE *wed-/*wod-/*ud- "wet" (see water), or from *wind- "white" (cf. Celt. vindo- "white").
The Anglo-Saxons counted years in "winters," cf. O.E. ænetre "one-year-old." O.N. Vetrardag, first day of winter, was the Saturday that fell between Oct. 10 and 16. The verb meaning "to pass the winter (in some place)" is recorded from 1382. Winterize is from 1938, on model of earlier summerize (1935). Wintergreen as a type of plant is recorded from 1548.