The continued acceptance of "autumn" in the United States may reflect the influence, or at least the proximity, of English culture and literature. Back in Britain, however, "autumn" won out. At that time, both terms were adopted stateside, and the younger, more poetic "fall" gained the upper hand. The persistence of two terms for the third season in the United States, while somewhat of a mystery, may have something to do with the spread of English to the American continent at the very epoch when "fall" began jockeying for position with "autumn": the 17th century. But by the 19th century, "fall" had become an "Americanism": a word primarily used in the United States and one that was frowned upon by British lexicographers. "Autumn," a Latin word, first appears in English in the late 14th century, and gradually gained on "harvest, the original name for the season." In the 17th century, "fall" came into use, almost certainly as a poetic complement to "spring," and it competed with the other terms.įinally, in the 18th century, "harvest" had lost its seasonal meaning altogether, and "fall" and "autumn" emerged as the two accepted names for the third season. It has taken on the more common name of “fall” in the United States due to the fact that leaves fall from the trees at this time.Īuthor Natalie Wolchover wrote an article about the season moniker (autumn) in October, 2012 for a website titled LiveScience. It is defined as the season of the year between summer and winter during which temperatures gradually decrease.
In case you were wondering, autumn 2020 began on September 22nd and runs through December 21st.
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