vernal

adjective

ver·​nal ˈvər-nᵊl 

1

: of, relating to, or occurring in the spring

vernal equinox

vernal sunshine

2

: fresh or new like the spring

also : youthful

vernally

ˈvər-nᵊl-ē 

adverb

Did you know?

If you want to sound sophisticated this spring, you can do what various learned individuals have done since the 16th century and refer to the spring equinox as the vernal equinox. You might also alter a classic rhyme to chant "Vernal showers bring May flowers." Or if you really want to wax poetic, you could compliment your lass's vernal grace or your beau's vernal charm. If you do, and your sweetheart asks where such a word comes from, you can further impress by saying, "'Vernal,' my dear, comes from the Latin 'vernalis,' which is derived from the Latin word for spring, 'ver.'"

Examples of vernal in a Sentence

trees and flowers in vernal bloom

Recent Examples on the Web

The vernal equinox is one of two points in Earth’s orbit where the sun creates equal periods of daytime and nighttime across the globe. —Michael Roston, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2025

Winter lasts from Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in the northern hemisphere until Thursday, March 20, 2025, when the vernal equinox will mark the beginning of spring. —Katie Wiseman, The Courier-Journal, 18 Dec. 2024

There are two of these moments each year—in late March (the northward or vernal equinox) and late September (the southward or fall equinox). —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024

After the solstice, daylight hours gradually increase as the Earth moves toward the vernal equinox in March. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin vernālis, from vernus "of spring" (going back to pre-Latin *u̯esri-no-, adjective derivative from the base of Latin vēr "spring") + -ālis -al entry 1; vēr "spring," going back to Indo-European *u̯ḗs-r̥-, *u̯es-n̥-s, whence also Old Norse vár "spring," Old Frisian wars, wērs, Welsh gwanwyn (Old Welsh guiannuin, from British Celtic *u̯esantēno-), Middle Irish errach (probably from *u̯esrāko-, with generalization of the lenited initial consonant), Old Church Slavic vesna, Russian vesná, Lithuanian vãsara "summer," Greek éar "spring" (from *u̯ehar, from *u̯esr̥), Armenian garun (gar- from *gehar-, from *u̯esr̥- + a suffix), Sanskrit vasantá-, Avestan vaŋri (locative) "in the spring"

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

vernal

adjective

ver·​nal ˈvərn-ᵊl 

: of, relating to, or occurring in the spring

the vernal equinox