autumn

noun

au·​tumn ˈȯ-təm 

1

: the season between summer and winter comprising in the northern hemisphere usually the months of September, October, and November or as reckoned astronomically extending from the September equinox to the December solstice

called also fall

2

: a period of maturity or incipient decline

in the autumn of life

Synonyms

• afterlife
• afternoon
• age
• evening

Examples of autumn in a Sentence

in the autumn of last year

a magnificent New England autumn

She went off to college in the autumn of 1999.

When autumn came he planted grass.

Recent Examples on the Web

The animals feed clear up into thick fir and spruce of the high peaks in the summer, then drift gradually down before the chill of approaching autumn. —Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 26 June 2024

By the middle of autumn, however, the counteroffensive stalled. —Simon Shuster/bürgenstock, TIME, 25 June 2024

Travis Kelce has been Taylor Swift’s number one cheerleader ever since the pair began dating last autumn, with the NFL star regularly spotted singing and dancing along at her Eras Tour concerts. —Emily Chan, Vogue, 24 June 2024

The brilliant hues of autumn are created by a variety of factors that shift year by year. —JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English autumpne, borrowed from Anglo-French autompne, borrowed from Latin autumnus (also an adjective, "autumnal"), perhaps a borrowing from Etruscan

Note: Ernout and Meillet (Dictionaire étymologique de la langue latine) regard an Etruscan origin as definite ("sans doute") and compare the form to Vertumnus/Vortumnus, claimed by Varro to be an Etruscan god. (The Romans regarded Vertumnus as a god of the changing seasons, by association with the verb vertere "to turn.")

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing autumn

• autumn crocus

Kids Definition

autumn

noun

au·​tumn ˈȯt-əm 

1

: the season between summer and winter including in the northern hemisphere usually the months of September, October, and November

called also fall

2

: a time late in an existence

in the autumn of life

autumnal

ȯ-ˈtəm-nəl 

adjective