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'''Autumn''' (also known as fall in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_English American] [[English]]) is one of the four [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperate temperate] [[seasons]]. Autumn marks the [[transition]] from [[summer]] into [[winter]], usually in March (Southern Hemisphere) or September (Northern Hemisphere) when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier.

'''Autumn''' (also known as fall in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_English American] [[English]]) is one of the four [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperate temperate] [[seasons]]. Autumn marks the [[transition]] from [[summer]] into [[winter]], usually in March (Southern Hemisphere) or September (Northern Hemisphere) when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier.

The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox equinoxes] might be [[expected]] to be in the middle of their respective [[seasons]], but temperature lag (caused by the thermal latency of the ground and sea) means that seasons appear later than dates calculated from a [[purely]] [[astronomical]] [[perspective]]. The [[actual]] lag varies with region, so some [[cultures]] regard the autumnal equinox as "mid-autumn" whilst others treat it as the start of autumn.

The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox equinoxes] might be [[expected]] to be in the middle of their respective [[seasons]], but temperature lag (caused by the thermal latency of the ground and sea) means that seasons appear later than dates calculated from a [[purely]] [[astronomical]] [[perspective]]. The [[actual]] lag varies with region, so some [[cultures]] regard the autumnal equinox as "mid-autumn" whilst others treat it as the start of autumn.

Autumn starts on or around 8 August and ends on about 7 November in [[traditional]] East Asian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_term solar term].

Autumn starts on or around 8 August and ends on about 7 November in [[traditional]] East Asian [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_term solar term].

In [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland Ireland], the autumn months according to the national meteorological service, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Met_%C3%89ireann Met Éireann], are September, October and November. However, according to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Calendar Irish Calendar] which is based on ancient [[Celtic]] [[traditions]], autumn lasts throughout the months of August, September, and October, or possibly a few days later, depending on tradition. In Australia autumn officially begins on 1 March and ends 31 May. The vast [[diversity]] of the [[ecological]] zones of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia Australian] continent renders the rigid American seasonal calendar an imposed cultural [[concept]] rather than relevant to climactic conditions. The seasonal [[cycles]] as named and described by the various [[indigenous]] Aboriginal peoples of Australia differ substantially from one another according to their local geographical and [[ecological]] [[environment]] and are intricately dependent on local environmental events and resources.[6]

In [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland Ireland], the autumn months according to the national meteorological service, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Met_%C3%89ireann Met Éireann], are September, October and November. However, according to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Calendar Irish Calendar] which is based on ancient [[Celtic]] [[traditions]], autumn lasts throughout the months of August, September, and October, or possibly a few days later, depending on tradition. In Australia autumn officially begins on 1 March and ends 31 May. The vast [[diversity]] of the [[ecological]] zones of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia Australian] continent renders the rigid American seasonal calendar an imposed cultural [[concept]] rather than relevant to climactic conditions. The seasonal [[cycles]] as named and described by the various [[indigenous]] Aboriginal peoples of Australia differ substantially from one another according to their local geographical and [[ecological]] [[environment]] and are intricately dependent on local environmental events and resources.[6]

==Etymology==

==Etymology==

The [[word]] autumn comes from the Old French word autompne (automne in modern French), and was later [[Normal|normalised]] to the [[original]] [[Latin]] word autumnus. There are rare examples of its use as early as the [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/12th_Century 12th century], but it became common by the [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Century 16th century].

The [[word]] autumn comes from the Old French word autompne (automne in modern French), and was later [[Normal|normalised]] to the [[original]] [[Latin]] word autumnus. There are rare examples of its use as early as the [https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/12th_Century 12th century], but it became common by the [https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Century 16th century].

Before the 16th century, [[harvest]] was the term usually used to refer to the [[season]]. However, as more people [[gradually]] moved from [[working]] the land to living in towns (especially those who could [[read]] and [[write]],  the only people whose use of [[language]] we now know), the word harvest lost its [[reference]] to the time of year and came to refer only to the actual [[activity]] of reaping, and autumn, as well as fall, began to replace it as a reference to the season.

Before the 16th century, [[harvest]] was the term usually used to refer to the [[season]]. However, as more people [[gradually]] moved from [[working]] the land to living in towns (especially those who could [[read]] and [[write]],  the only people whose use of [[language]] we now know), the word harvest lost its [[reference]] to the time of year and came to refer only to the actual [[activity]] of reaping, and autumn, as well as fall, began to replace it as a reference to the season.

The [[alternative]] word fall is now mostly a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_English North American] [[English]] word for the [[season]]. It traces its [[origins]] to old [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_languages Germanic languages]. The exact derivation is unclear, the [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._600-1100.09THE_OLD_ENGLISH.2C_OR_ANGLO-SAXON_PERIOD Old English] fiæll or feallan and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Norse_language Old Norse] fall all being possible [[candidates]]. However, these [[words]] all have the [[meaning]] "to fall from a height" and are clearly derived either from a common [[root]] or from each other. The term came to denote the [[season]] in 16th century [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England England], a contraction of [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English] [[expressions]] like "fall of the leaf" and "fall of the year".

The [[alternative]] word fall is now mostly a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_English North American] [[English]] word for the [[season]]. It traces its [[origins]] to old [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_languages Germanic languages]. The exact derivation is unclear, the [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._600-1100.09THE_OLD_ENGLISH.2C_OR_ANGLO-SAXON_PERIOD Old English] fiæll or feallan and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Norse_language Old Norse] fall all being possible [[candidates]]. However, these [[words]] all have the [[meaning]] "to fall from a height" and are clearly derived either from a common [[root]] or from each other. The term came to denote the [[season]] in 16th century [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England England], a contraction of [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English] [[expressions]] like "fall of the leaf" and "fall of the year".

During the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17th_century 17th century], [[English]] emigration to the colonies in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America North America] was at its peak, and the new settlers took their [[language]] with them. While the term fall [[gradually]] became obsolete in Britain, it became the more common term in North America, where autumn is nonetheless preferred in [[scientific]] and often in [[literary]] [[contexts]].

During the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17th_century 17th century], [[English]] emigration to the colonies in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America North America] was at its peak, and the new settlers took their [[language]] with them. While the term fall [[gradually]] became obsolete in Britain, it became the more common term in North America, where autumn is nonetheless preferred in [[scientific]] and often in [[literary]] [[contexts]].

==Harvest association==

==Harvest association==

[[Association]] with the [[transition]] from warm to cold weather, and its [[related]] [[status]] as the season of the primary [[harvest]], has dominated its themes and popular images. In Western [[cultures]], [[personification]]s of autumn are usually pretty, well-fed [[female]]s adorned with fruits, vegetables and grains that ripen at this time. Most ancient cultures featured autumnal [[celebration]]s of the [[harvest]], often the most important on their calendars. Still extant [[echoes]] of these celebrations are found in the mid-autumn [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving Thanksgiving] holiday of the United States, and the Jewish [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukkot Sukkot] holiday with its [[roots]] as a full moon harvest festival of "tabernacles" (huts wherein the harvest was processed and which later gained [[religious]] significance). There are also the many North American Indian festivals tied to harvest of autumnally ripe foods gathered in the wild, the Chinese Mid-Autumn or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_festival Moon festival], and many others. The predominant [[mood]] of these autumnal celebrations is a gladness for the fruits of the [[earth]] mixed with a certain [[melancholy]] linked to the imminent arrival of harsh [[weather]].

[[Association]] with the [[transition]] from warm to cold weather, and its [[related]] [[status]] as the season of the primary [[harvest]], has dominated its themes and popular images. In Western [[cultures]], [[personification]]s of autumn are usually pretty, well-fed [[female]]s adorned with fruits, vegetables and grains that ripen at this time. Most ancient cultures featured autumnal [[celebration]]s of the [[harvest]], often the most important on their calendars. Still extant [[echoes]] of these celebrations are found in the mid-autumn [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving Thanksgiving] holiday of the United States, and the Jewish [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukkot Sukkot] holiday with its [[roots]] as a full moon harvest festival of "tabernacles" (huts wherein the harvest was processed and which later gained [[religious]] significance). There are also the many North American Indian festivals tied to harvest of autumnally ripe foods gathered in the wild, the Chinese Mid-Autumn or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_festival Moon festival], and many others. The predominant [[mood]] of these autumnal celebrations is a gladness for the fruits of the [[earth]] mixed with a certain [[melancholy]] linked to the imminent arrival of harsh [[weather]].

This view is presented in [[English]] [[poet]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Keats John Keats]' poem [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Autumn To Autumn], where he describes the [[season]] as a time of bounteous fecundity, a time of 'mellow fruitfulness'.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall]

This view is presented in [[English]] [[poet]] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Keats John Keats]' poem [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Autumn To Autumn], where he describes the [[season]] as a time of bounteous fecundity, a time of 'mellow fruitfulness'.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall]

[[Category: General Reference]]

[[Category: General Reference]]