In fact one of the Oxford English Dictionary’s first citations of fall comes from Sir Walter Raleigh, one of the first English explorers of North America: In his poem “ The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd,” he uses the word to contrast with spring.

The rise of autumn and the appearance of fall happened around the same time as the British arrival on the American continent, and it’s there that the latter really caught on. It’s a bit of a mystery why the superfluous autumn persists while analogous words like primetemps and ver have fallen out of use, but it may have something to do with the Atlantic Ocean. The two complemented each other nicely and were soon shortened to the more succinct fall and spring, with the longer phrases disappearing over the next few hundred years. They each initially appeared in the 16 th century as spring of the leaf and fall of the leaf, respectively. Spring and fall likely gained popularity in conjunction with each other. In the 17 th and 18 th centuries, dictionaries by both Thomas Blount and Samuel Johnson noted that some thought that fall began in August and ended in November, while others contested that it began in September (at the equinox) and ended in December (with the solstice). Even when they spoke of fall, they couldn’t agree when, exactly, it took place. As late as the 18 th century, English speakers were less likely to think of the year as having four seasons, focusing instead on the coldest and warmest portions of the year. This is partly because the two seasons were long viewed as secondary to summer and winter. While the modern names of winter and summer have been around for more than 1,000 years, the names of fall and spring are more recent-and less constant. It’s the first week of fall-or perhaps I should say “autumn.” How did autumn become the only season with two names?īefore it was autumn and fall, it was harvest. We’ve reprinted the post for the first day of the season, below. I am much more comfortable in jeans, thank you very much, and that’s why I really love Autumn.This article originally appeared in the fall/autumn of 2012. No more short shorts, singlets and other horrible, heat-preventing items of clothing that look great on a model, or Taylor Swift, but not on a short, chubby, extremely pale girl with very low self-esteem. You get to snuggle into blankets, spoon pillows and surrender to the warm and smothering caress of your favourite throw. Beanies won’t cause you to break out in a sweat, and scarves are as functional as they are fashionable.

You can wear jeans again, and light jumpers, cardigans, skirts and tights and boots. I think one of the main things I truly adore about autumn, is that coolness in the air that relief from summers hot gaze. Autumn is my favourite season because it is electric. There is a crackle about, where the cool, fresh, and invigorating breezes meet the flame of light that perches on the tip of a hill in the afternoon. The air is lighter, the denseness of summer faded, breathing comes more easily. Autumn brings a translucency that isn’t present in any of the other seasons, the light is heavier, diffused over the landscape, orange and burning. The world changes, sure the weather gets colder, but the atmosphere feels different, the air has a different flow. Leaves crunch satisfyingly beneath your boots and you wake up on Sunday mornings to the sound of rain on the window pane, the sweet lull of the pitter-patter creating the perfect rhythm for a sleep in. Sweat doesn’t haunt every crevice of your body, your clothes aren’t damp after a long day at work. The humidity of summer is fading away and the air is cool, energetic, buzzing.

Autumn vs fall comic